The answer is that the most significant security concern is the use of TKIP as the group cipher in WPA2. This is because TKIP, or Temporal Key Integrity Protocol, is a deprecated encryption protocol originally designed for WPA, and it is vulnerable to well-known attacks such as the Michael attack and the Beck-Tews attack, which can allow an attacker to decrypt traffic or inject malicious packets. On the Certified Ethical Hacker CEH exam, this scenario tests your understanding of wireless encryption weaknesses and the distinction between the pairwise cipher (used for unicast traffic) and the group cipher (used for broadcast/multicast traffic). A common trap is assuming that because the network uses WPA2, it is automatically secure, but the exam expects you to recognize that TKIP should never be used in a modern WPA2 network—only CCMP with AES is considered secure. Memory tip: think “TKIP is a trip to insecurity” because it’s a deprecated holdover from WPA that breaks WPA2’s security promise.
CEH Wireless, IoT and Cloud Security Practice Question
This CEH practice question tests your understanding of wireless, iot and cloud security. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
Wireless Capture: Beacon Frame
SSID: CorpNet
Security: WPA2-PSK
BSSID: 00:11:22:33:44:55
Channel: 6
RSN Information:
Pairwise Ciphers: CCMP
Group Cipher: TKIP
```
Refer to the exhibit. During a wireless audit, you capture a beacon frame from a corporate access point. What is the most significant security concern based on this information?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The group cipher is TKIP, which is deprecated and vulnerable.
Option D is correct because TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is a deprecated encryption protocol that was part of the original WPA standard. It is vulnerable to several attacks, including the Michael attack and the Beck-Tews attack, which can allow an attacker to decrypt traffic or inject packets. In a modern WPA2 network, TKIP should never be used as the group cipher; only CCMP (AES) is considered secure.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The pairwise cipher is CCMP, which is outdated.
Why it's wrong here
CCMP is secure and current.
✗
The network uses WPA2-PSK, which is easily cracked.
Why it's wrong here
PSK is not inherently vulnerable.
✗
The beacon frame reveals the BSSID, which is a security risk.
Why it's wrong here
BSSID is publicly broadcast.
✓
The group cipher is TKIP, which is deprecated and vulnerable.
Why this is correct
TKIP should not be used.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume WPA2-PSK is inherently insecure (Option B) or that revealing the BSSID is a risk (Option C), but the real security flaw in this scenario is the use of TKIP as the group cipher, which is deprecated and known to be broken.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
TKIP uses a 128-bit per-packet key mixing mechanism and a 64-bit Michael Message Integrity Check (MIC), but both have known weaknesses. The Michael algorithm can be exploited via a 'MIC failure' attack, and an attacker can recover the MIC key after observing about 10,000 packets. In a mixed-mode WPA2 network (TKIP + CCMP), the group cipher is used for broadcast and multicast traffic, so if TKIP is the group cipher, all broadcast traffic is vulnerable even if unicast uses CCMP.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the CEH exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CEH question in full detail.
Wireless, IoT and Cloud Security — This question tests Wireless, IoT and Cloud Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The group cipher is TKIP, which is deprecated and vulnerable. — Option D is correct because TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is a deprecated encryption protocol that was part of the original WPA standard. It is vulnerable to several attacks, including the Michael attack and the Beck-Tews attack, which can allow an attacker to decrypt traffic or inject packets. In a modern WPA2 network, TKIP should never be used as the group cipher; only CCMP (AES) is considered secure.
What should I do if I get this CEH question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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