Replacing WEP with Secure Wireless Encryption
You are an ethical hacker contracted to conduct a security audit for a company. During the audit, you discover that the company's wireless network is using WEP encryption. You understand the vulnerabilities associated with WEP and plan to recommend a more secure encryption method. Which of the following would you recommend as a suitable replacement to enhance the security of the company's wireless network?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The core concept tested is recognizing that WEP is cryptographically broken and must be replaced by modern standards like WPA2/AES, while distractors offer only marginal or ineffective security improvements.
This question evaluates the ability to identify secure alternatives to the vulnerable WEP protocol for wireless networks. The correct answer is WPA2-PSK with AES encryption, which provides robust data confidentiality and integrity.
Candidates often select MAC address filtering or disabling SSID broadcast, mistakenly believing these obscurity measures provide strong encryption comparable to WPA2.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) has been proven insecure due to flaws in the RC4 stream cipher implementation, making it trivial to crack using tools like Aircrack-ng. WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 - Pre-Shared Key) utilizes the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm, which is currently the industry standard for securing wireless communications. It provides both strong encryption and message integrity checks, effectively mitigating the vulnerabilities inherent in WEP.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Open System authentication (A) provides no encryption, leaving traffic fully exposed. Disabling SSID broadcast (C) and MAC address filtering (D) are security through obscurity measures; they do not encrypt data and can be easily bypassed or discovered by an attacker, offering no protection against eavesdropping or packet injection.Community Comment Notes
Community consensus strongly supports Option B as the definitive replacement. One commenter referenced CEH study materials confirming WPA2-AES as the standard upgrade path from WEP, aligning with exam doctrine.Exam Strategy
Always prioritize cryptographic strength over configuration obscurity when securing networks. If a question asks for a 'replacement' or 'enhancement' to encryption, look for protocols implementing AES or CCMP, rather than access control lists or hidden SSIDs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is disabling SSID broadcast not a valid encryption replacement?
Disabling SSID broadcast hides the network name but does not encrypt the data transmitted over the air. Attackers can still discover hidden SSIDs and intercept unencrypted traffic.
Is WPA3 better than WPA2 for this recommendation?
While WPA3 is superior, WPA2-PSK with AES remains the widely supported standard for compatibility and sufficient security in most current contexts unless specified otherwise.