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SY0-501 · Question #156

When connected to a secure WAP, which of the following encryption technologies is MOST likely to be configured when connecting to WPA2-PSK?

The correct answer is B. AES. WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 with Pre-Shared Key) uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) as its primary encryption algorithm, providing strong 128-bit or 256-bit symmetric encryption for wireless communications.

Submitted by rohit_dlh· Mar 4, 2026General security concepts

Question

When connected to a secure WAP, which of the following encryption technologies is MOST likely to be configured when connecting to WPA2-PSK?

Options

  • ADES
  • BAES
  • CMD5
  • DWEP

How the community answered

(35 responses)
  • A
    6% (2)
  • B
    80% (28)
  • C
    3% (1)
  • D
    11% (4)

Why each option

WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 with Pre-Shared Key) uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) as its primary encryption algorithm, providing strong 128-bit or 256-bit symmetric encryption for wireless communications.

ADES

DES (Data Encryption Standard) is an outdated and weak symmetric encryption algorithm not used in wireless security protocols; WPA2 relies on AES, not DES.

BAESCorrect

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is the mandatory encryption cipher used by WPA2, replacing the weaker TKIP used in WPA. WPA2-PSK specifically uses AES in CCMP (Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol) mode, which provides both data confidentiality and integrity, making it the correct and most likely encryption technology configured in a WPA2-PSK environment.

CMD5

MD5 is a cryptographic hashing algorithm used for integrity verification, not an encryption technology, and it is not the encryption cipher used by WPA2-PSK.

DWEP

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a deprecated and highly insecure wireless security protocol that predates WPA2 and uses RC4 encryption, not AES, and has been largely abandoned due to serious vulnerabilities.

Concept tested: WPA2-PSK encryption standard and AES cipher

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/operating-system-security/network-security/wifi-security

Topics

#WPA2-PSK#AES#wireless encryption#symmetric encryption

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