Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Cybersecurity Practice Test

Which security protocol is designed to provide a comparable level of security to wired LANs for wireless networks?

1. WPA

2. WEP

3. VPN

4. IPSec

The correct answer is: WEP

The correct answer relates to the Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol, which was designed to offer a similar level of security for wireless networks as that which is typically found in wired Local Area Networks (LANs). WEP aims to protect wireless communications by encrypting the data transmitted over the airwaves, thus providing a degree of data confidentiality and preventing unauthorized access to the network. While WEP was an early approach to securing wireless networks, it's important to note that it has significant vulnerabilities that have led to the development of more secure alternatives, such as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2. These newer protocols employ stronger encryption methods and better authentication mechanisms to enhance security beyond what WEP can provide. When considering the other options, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is used to create a secure tunnel over the internet, primarily safeguarding data in transit rather than being a security protocol for wireless networks themselves. IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) is a suite of protocols designed to secure Internet Protocol (IP) communications, which can include traffic over both wired and wireless networks, but it does not specifically address the unique challenges posed by wireless security in the same direct manner as WEP was intended to. Thus, WEP represents an early but focused