Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

15 Questions

What is the purpose of WPA in Wi-Fi communications?

To replace WEP encryption

How does WPA differ from WEP in Wi-Fi security?

WPA uses a stronger encryption method than WEP

Which encryption scheme is designed to be replaced by WPA in Wi-Fi communications?

WEP

What cipher does WPA use for encryption in Wi-Fi communications?

RC4

Which protocol does WPA utilize to address vulnerabilities in the older WEP protection scheme?

TKIP

What security enhancement does WPA provide over the older WEP protection scheme in Wi-Fi communications?

Better encryption and key management

What is the main vulnerability of the WEP encryption mechanism?

Weak initialization vector

Which element does WEP use to secure its preshared key?

Initialization vector

What is a notable drawback of WEP in wireless data security?

Susceptibility to encryption breaking attacks

What type of networks can still use the pre-shared key method under WPA2?

Both home and small office networks

Which cipher is used by WPA2 for encryption?

AES

What security standard was completed before WPA2 replaced the original WPA?

802.11i

What is the main function of time-division multiplexing?

Sharing a single cable to pass multiple voice calls

In which network is analog circuit switching commonly used?

Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

Where is time-division multiplexing technology commonly used?

ISDN or T-1 services

Study Notes

WPA in Wi-Fi Communications

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is a security protocol designed to secure Wi-Fi communications.
WPA differs from WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) in Wi-Fi security as it provides stronger encryption and better protection against hacking.

WPA vs WEP

WPA is designed to replace WEP in Wi-Fi communications.
WPA uses the TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) cipher for encryption, whereas WEP uses the RC4 cipher.
WPA utilizes the 802.1X protocol to address vulnerabilities in the older WEP protection scheme.

WPA Security Enhancements

WPA provides a security enhancement over WEP by using a more secure encryption method and a more robust authentication process.
The main vulnerability of WEP encryption is its weak encryption algorithm and key management.

WEP Limitations

WEP uses a pre-shared key to secure its encryption, which is a notable drawback in wireless data security.
WEP's pre-shared key method is vulnerable to hacking and can be easily compromised.

WPA2 and Pre-Shared Key

WPA2 still allows the use of pre-shared key method for home and small networks.
WPA2 uses the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) cipher for encryption.

WPA2 and Security Standards

WPA2 was completed as a security standard before the IEEE 802.11i standard was published.

Time-Division Multiplexing

Time-division multiplexing is a technology that allows multiple signals to share the same communication channel by dividing the channel into time slots.
The main function of time-division multiplexing is to enable multiple devices to share the same bandwidth.

Network Technologies

Analog circuit switching is commonly used in telephone networks.
Time-division multiplexing technology is commonly used in digital telephone networks.