CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) Practice

Which of the following protocols is used to ensure that only authorized parties can view transmitted wireless information?

1. WPA

2. WEP

3. VPN

4. CDP

The correct answer is: WEP

The correct protocol that ensures only authorized parties can view transmitted wireless information is WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WPA is a security protocol designed to enhance the security of wireless networks by providing stronger data protection and network access control compared to its predecessor, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). WPA utilizes encryption methods such as TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) and later, WPA2, uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), which are effective in protecting data from unauthorized access during transmission. WEP, while it was an early attempt to secure wireless networks, has significant vulnerabilities that allow unauthorized users to bypass its security measures easily. As a result, it has largely been phased out in favor of WPA and WPA2. VPN (Virtual Private Network) serves an entirely different purpose by creating a secure "tunnel" over the internet for remote workers, but it does not directly protect wireless communications by itself. CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) is used for network discovery and can be vulnerable to unauthorized access and does not provide encryption for wireless transmissions. Thus, WPA is the most suitable technology for ensuring that only authorized parties can view transmitted wireless information.