ITPEC IP October 2020 Question 37

Which of the following is the appropriate description concerning a wireless LAN?

a)Countermeasures against unauthorized use of an access point are required.b)The standard for encryption is limited to WPA2.c)Communication between a terminal and an access point is possible over any distance.d)There are multiple standards for wireless LANs, and communication is possible among them all.

Explanation

Countermeasures against unauthorized use of an access point are required — radio waves reach beyond the walls, so anyone nearby can try to connect.

A wireless LAN carries data by radio, which does not stop at the office boundary. An unprotected access point lets outsiders get onto the network or the Internet through it, or read the traffic. Countermeasures include encryption with a strong passphrase (WPA2 or WPA3), authentication of users or devices, changing the default administrator password, and not using the obsolete WEP.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

•(b) — there are several encryption standards: WEP (now easily broken), WPA, WPA2 and WPA3; WPA2 is not the only one
•(c) — radio range is limited, typically tens of metres indoors, and walls and interference shorten it further
•(d) — the IEEE 802.11 standards (a, b, g, n, ac, ax) differ in frequency band and method; a device supporting only 802.11a (5 GHz) cannot talk to one supporting only 802.11b (2.4 GHz)

Key rule: A wireless LAN is open to anyone within radio range, so encryption and access control belong to setting one up, not to an optional extra.

Networks · AI-written, may contain errors

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