CEH Practice Question: Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography
An attacker sets up a rogue access point with the same SSID as a legitimate corporate network and broadcasts a stronger signal. Clients connect to the rogue AP. What type of attack is this?
⚠ Common exam trap
CEH often tests the confusion between evil twin and de-authentication attacks, since deauth is frequently used to force clients off the legitimate AP before they reconnect to the evil twin, but the defining characteristic of the evil twin is the SSID impersonation itself.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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Evil twin attack
An evil twin attack is defined by a rogue access point that impersonates a legitimate AP by broadcasting the same SSID, often with a stronger signal to lure clients into associating with it. Once clients connect, the attacker can capture credentials, perform man-in-the-middle interception, or serve malicious content. The scenario described matches this definition exactly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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WPS PIN attack
Why it's wrong here
A WPS PIN attack specifically targets the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) feature, attempting to brute-force the 8-digit PIN to obtain the network's WPA/WPA2 passphrase. This method focuses on compromising the security of an *existing* legitimate access point's WPS functionality, rather than establishing a new, deceptive access point with a spoofed SSID to lure clients.
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De-authentication attack
Why it's wrong here
A de-authentication attack involves sending forged de-authentication frames to one or more clients, forcing them to disconnect from their legitimate access point. While often used in conjunction with an evil twin to compel clients to connect to the rogue AP, the attack described in the question specifically refers to the *setup* of the rogue access point itself, not the method of disconnecting clients.
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Evil twin attack
Why this is correct
An evil twin attack precisely describes the scenario where an attacker sets up a rogue access point that mimics a legitimate one by using the same Service Set Identifier (SSID). The objective is to deceive unsuspecting users into connecting to the malicious AP, allowing the attacker to intercept their network traffic, capture credentials, or inject malware.
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MAC spoofing attack
Why it's wrong here
MAC spoofing involves altering the Media Access Control (MAC) address of a network interface card to impersonate another device or bypass MAC-based access controls. While an attacker might spoof a MAC address to make a rogue AP appear more legitimate or evade detection, the core action of 'setting up a rogue access point with the same SSID' fundamentally defines the creation of a deceptive network, not merely changing a hardware identifier.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CEH exam.