Which term refers to a method of securing wireless networks using a shared password?

Which term refers to a method of securing wireless networks using a shared password?

• A. WEP
• B. Open
• C. Ad-hoc
• D. Pre-shared key

Answer: (D)

The method described uses a shared password to protect wireless traffic, which is known as a pre-shared key. In this setup, everyone who needs to connect uses the same passphrase, and the router (or access point) uses that passphrase to derive encryption keys for securing the connection (as in WPA/WPA2-PSK). This approach is common for home or small-office networks because it’s simple to deploy with a single password for all devices. This differs from an open network, which has no password or authentication, and from ad-hoc mode, which is a direct device-to-device connection rather than a centralized security method. WEP is an older security protocol with well-known weaknesses and doesn’t describe the concept of a single shared password used to derive encryption keys in modern network security. Therefore, the term that fits the description is pre-shared key.

The method described uses a shared password to protect wireless traffic, which is known as a pre-shared key. In this setup, everyone who needs to connect uses the same passphrase, and the router (or access point) uses that passphrase to derive encryption keys for securing the connection (as in WPA/WPA2-PSK). This approach is common for home or small-office networks because it’s simple to deploy with a single password for all devices.

This differs from an open network, which has no password or authentication, and from ad-hoc mode, which is a direct device-to-device connection rather than a centralized security method. WEP is an older security protocol with well-known weaknesses and doesn’t describe the concept of a single shared password used to derive encryption keys in modern network security. Therefore, the term that fits the description is pre-shared key.