This CEH practice question tests your understanding of advanced topics: wireless, cloud, iot, cryptography. 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.
Which of the following tools is specifically designed to exploit WPS vulnerabilities on wireless networks?
John the Ripper
Why wrong: John the Ripper is a password cracking tool, not specific to WPS.
aircrack-ng
Why wrong: Aircrack-ng cracks WEP and WPA keys, but not WPS.
Kismet
Why wrong: Kismet is a wireless network detector/sniffer.
Reaver
Reaver performs brute-force attacks against WPS registrar PINs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Reaver
Reaver is specifically designed to exploit the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) PIN brute-force vulnerability. It targets the WPS registrar's lack of rate limiting and the fact that the PIN is split into two halves, making it feasible to guess the 8-digit PIN in under 10,000 attempts. This allows an attacker to recover the WPA/WPA2 pre-shared key without needing to crack the actual encryption.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
John the Ripper
Why it's wrong here
John the Ripper is a password cracking tool, not specific to WPS.
aircrack-ng
Why it's wrong here
Aircrack-ng cracks WEP and WPA keys, but not WPS.
Kismet
Why it's wrong here
Kismet is a wireless network detector/sniffer.
Reaver
Why this is correct
Reaver performs brute-force attacks against WPS registrar PINs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse aircrack-ng (which cracks WPA handshakes) with tools that exploit the WPS PIN vulnerability, but aircrack-ng has no WPS brute-force capability.
Detailed technical explanation
WPS PIN validation uses a split-pin design: the first half (first 4 digits) is validated separately from the second half (last 3 digits plus a checksum), reducing the maximum guesses from 10^8 to 10^4 + 10^3 = 11,000 attempts. Reaver automates this brute-force by sending EAPOL start messages and parsing WPS M1–M8 messages, often achieving key recovery within 2–10 hours on a vulnerable access point. Some routers implement lockout delays, but many do not, making Reaver effective in real-world assessments.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography — This question tests Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Reaver — Reaver is specifically designed to exploit the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) PIN brute-force vulnerability. It targets the WPS registrar's lack of rate limiting and the fact that the PIN is split into two halves, making it feasible to guess the 8-digit PIN in under 10,000 attempts. This allows an attacker to recover the WPA/WPA2 pre-shared key without needing to crack the actual encryption.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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