CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) Practice

Which protocol is specifically designed for secure authentication in wireless networks?

1. WPA

2. HTTPS

3. FTP

4. SMTP

The correct answer is: WPA

The response points to WPA, which stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access, as the protocol specifically designed for secure authentication in wireless networks. WPA was created to address various security vulnerabilities found in earlier wireless protocols, such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). WPA uses strong encryption methods, primarily TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) and, in its revised version WPA2, employs AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). Besides encryption, WPA includes mechanisms for secure authentication, protecting the integrity of data being transmitted over the wireless network and ensuring that only authorized devices can connect. In contrast, the other protocols listed serve different purposes. HTTPS is an extension of HTTP that secures the transmission of web data but is not specific to wireless networks. FTP is a protocol for transferring files between systems over a network and lacks built-in security features without additional measures. SMTP is a protocol used for sending emails and does not focus on the authentication of wireless connections. Thus, WPA is the appropriate choice for secure authentication in wireless networks, underscoring its role in protecting data integrity and user authentication in environments where wireless access is utilized.