Which protocol uses a pre-shared passphrase for authentication?

Which protocol uses a pre-shared passphrase for authentication?

• A. WEP
• B. WPA2 Personal
• C. WPA2 Enterprise
• D. WPA3 Personal

Answer: (B)

A pre-shared key is a password known to both the wireless access point and its clients, used to derive the session keys during the connection handshake. This approach is typical for home or small-office networks where there isn’t a central authentication server. The protocol that most clearly embodies this model is WPA2 Personal, where a single shared passphrase is entered on the AP and on every client. That passphrase is used to derive the PSK, which then helps secure the 4-way handshake to establish encryption keys for the session. In contrast, WPA2 Enterprise relies on 802.1X with a RADIUS server and per-user credentials rather than a shared password; WEP uses older, less secure methods and isn’t based on the modern PSK concept; WPA3 Personal also uses a passphrase, but for this item the common, textbook example of a pre-shared key is WPA2 Personal.

A pre-shared key is a password known to both the wireless access point and its clients, used to derive the session keys during the connection handshake. This approach is typical for home or small-office networks where there isn’t a central authentication server. The protocol that most clearly embodies this model is WPA2 Personal, where a single shared passphrase is entered on the AP and on every client. That passphrase is used to derive the PSK, which then helps secure the 4-way handshake to establish encryption keys for the session. In contrast, WPA2 Enterprise relies on 802.1X with a RADIUS server and per-user credentials rather than a shared password; WEP uses older, less secure methods and isn’t based on the modern PSK concept; WPA3 Personal also uses a passphrase, but for this item the common, textbook example of a pre-shared key is WPA2 Personal.