nerdexam
GIAC

GSLC · Question #67

Which of the following statements are true about WPA? Each correct answer represents a complete solution. Choose all that apply.

The correct answer is A. WPA provides better security than WEP. B. Shared-key WPA is vulnerable to password cracking attacks if a weak passphrase is used. C. WPA-PSK converts the passphrase into a 256-bit key. D. WPA-PSK requires a user to enter an 8-character to 63-character passphrase into a wireless client. All four statements accurately describe WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) - its security improvements over WEP, its PSK passphrase requirements, its 256-bit key derivation, and its vulnerability to weak passphrase attacks.

Security Architecture & Engineering

Question

Which of the following statements are true about WPA? Each correct answer represents a complete solution. Choose all that apply.

Options

  • AWPA provides better security than WEP.
  • BShared-key WPA is vulnerable to password cracking attacks if a weak passphrase is used.
  • CWPA-PSK converts the passphrase into a 256-bit key.
  • DWPA-PSK requires a user to enter an 8-character to 63-character passphrase into a wireless client.

How the community answered

(31 responses)
  • A
    100% (31)

Why each option

All four statements accurately describe WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) - its security improvements over WEP, its PSK passphrase requirements, its 256-bit key derivation, and its vulnerability to weak passphrase attacks.

AWPA provides better security than WEP.Correct

WPA improves upon WEP by replacing the static RC4-based WEP keys with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol), which dynamically generates per-packet keys and adds message integrity checking (MIC), making it significantly harder to crack.

BShared-key WPA is vulnerable to password cracking attacks if a weak passphrase is used.Correct

WPA-PSK derives its encryption keys from the passphrase using PBKDF2; if a short or common passphrase is chosen, an attacker can capture the 4-way handshake and perform an offline dictionary or brute-force attack to recover it.

CWPA-PSK converts the passphrase into a 256-bit key.Correct

WPA-PSK uses PBKDF2-SHA1 with 4096 iterations over the SSID and passphrase to derive a 256-bit Pairwise Master Key (PMK), which then seeds the 4-way handshake key derivation process.

DWPA-PSK requires a user to enter an 8-character to 63-character passphrase into a wireless client.Correct

The WPA-PSK passphrase must be between 8 and 63 ASCII characters (or exactly 64 hexadecimal digits representing the raw 256-bit PMK), as defined in the IEEE 802.11i specification.

Concept tested: WPA and WPA-PSK security features and vulnerabilities

Source: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/security

Topics

#WPA#WPA-PSK#wireless security#passphrase cracking

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full GSLC Practice