What is the original wireless security protocol?

What is the original wireless security protocol?

• A. WPA
• B. WEP
• C. WPA2
• D. WPA3

Answer: (B)

WEP was the first security protocol for Wi‑Fi, defined for the original 802.11 standard. It was designed to provide confidentiality similar to wired networks but relied on RC4 encryption with a short, 24‑bit initialization vector that is sent in the clear. This combination allows IVs to repeat and be reused, making the key easy to recover with relatively little data. The early 40‑ or 64‑bit keys also offered limited protection, and the integrity check (CRC) isn’t robust against active tampering. These weaknesses meant WEP could be cracked with basic tools, so subsequent standards were developed to fix the flaws, leading to WPA, then WPA2, and later WPA3.

WEP was the first security protocol for Wi‑Fi, defined for the original 802.11 standard. It was designed to provide confidentiality similar to wired networks but relied on RC4 encryption with a short, 24‑bit initialization vector that is sent in the clear. This combination allows IVs to repeat and be reused, making the key easy to recover with relatively little data. The early 40‑ or 64‑bit keys also offered limited protection, and the integrity check (CRC) isn’t robust against active tampering. These weaknesses meant WEP could be cracked with basic tools, so subsequent standards were developed to fix the flaws, leading to WPA, then WPA2, and later WPA3.