CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) Practice

Which of the following accurately describes the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)?

1. A protocol for message integrity

2. A protocol for software authentication

3. A protocol that enables hardware-based identifiers for authentication

4. A protocol limited to virtual private networks

The correct answer is: A protocol that enables hardware-based identifiers for authentication

The Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) is primarily designed to provide a flexible framework for authentication in various networking scenarios, particularly in wireless networks. Its ability to enable hardware-based identifiers for authentication is an essential feature of EAP, as it supports a variety of authentication methods that can leverage hardware tokens or smart cards. This characteristic makes EAP versatile and capable of enhancing security through strong, hardware-based identifiers. EAP is implemented in numerous environments, supporting multiple authentication mechanisms beyond hardware-based identifiers alone. Though it is often associated with wireless security protocols like WPA and WPA2, its extensibility allows it to be utilized across a wide range of network types, making it unsuitable to limit the protocol to a specific domain such as virtual private networks. Therefore, the correct choice highlights a key aspect of EAP’s utility and flexibility in supporting different authentication methods.