Which security protocol in IEEE 802.11b provides security and privacy for WLANs?

Which security protocol in IEEE 802.11b provides security and privacy for WLANs?

• A. WEP
• B. WPA
• C. WPA2
• D. WAP

Answer: (A)

In 802.11b, the security mechanism defined to provide confidentiality for wireless transmissions is WEP. It was designed to give WLAN traffic the same level of privacy as a wired network by encrypting frame payloads with the RC4 stream cipher using a shared key. The goal is to prevent eavesdroppers from reading the data as it travels over the air. While WPA and WPA2 were later introduced to address WEP’s weaknesses and WAP is not a WLAN security protocol, WEP is the protocol historically associated with providing security and privacy for 802.11b networks.

In 802.11b, the security mechanism defined to provide confidentiality for wireless transmissions is WEP. It was designed to give WLAN traffic the same level of privacy as a wired network by encrypting frame payloads with the RC4 stream cipher using a shared key. The goal is to prevent eavesdroppers from reading the data as it travels over the air. While WPA and WPA2 were later introduced to address WEP’s weaknesses and WAP is not a WLAN security protocol, WEP is the protocol historically associated with providing security and privacy for 802.11b networks.