Question 406 of 750

Wireless Security Protocols →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

How to Prevent WPA2-PSK Handshake Capture Attacks

This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of wireless security protocols. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.

A network administrator is investigating a security incident where an attacker captured the 4-way handshake of a WPA2-PSK network and successfully cracked the passphrase. Which protocol change would most effectively prevent this type of attack in the future?

A
Switch to WPA2-Enterprise with 802.1X and a RADIUS server.
Why wrong: Incorrect. While WPA2-Enterprise is more secure, it still uses a 4-way handshake that can be captured; the attacker would need to crack the user's credentials instead of a PSK.
B
Increase the WPA2-PSK passphrase length to 63 characters.
Why wrong: Incorrect. A longer passphrase makes cracking harder but does not prevent the handshake capture; an attacker with enough time could still crack it.
C
Upgrade to WPA3-SAE.
Correct. WPA3-SAE uses SAE, which eliminates the possibility of offline dictionary attacks by design, making handshake capture useless.
D
Enable MAC address filtering on the access point.
Why wrong: Incorrect. MAC filtering does not affect the handshake or encryption; it only controls which devices can connect.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Quick Answer

The answer is to upgrade to WPA3-SAE, as this protocol change most effectively prevents WPA2-PSK handshake capture attacks. WPA3-SAE replaces the vulnerable 4-way handshake with Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE), which introduces forward secrecy—meaning that even if an attacker captures the entire handshake exchange, they cannot crack the passphrase offline because the session keys are derived from ephemeral, non-recoverable values. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, this question tests your understanding of wireless security protocols and their cryptographic improvements; a common trap is choosing a stronger password or disabling SSID broadcast, which do nothing to prevent handshake capture. Remember, the key distinction is that WPA2-PSK allows offline brute-force attacks on the captured handshake, while WPA3-SAE’s SAE makes that mathematically impossible. Memory tip: “SAE saves the day with forward secrecy—no handshake, no crack.”

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

✓

Upgrade to WPA3-SAE.

WPA3-SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) replaces the WPA2-PSK 4-way handshake with a protocol that uses a Diffie-Hellman key exchange, making it resistant to offline dictionary attacks. Even if an attacker captures the SAE handshake, they cannot crack the passphrase offline because the key exchange provides forward secrecy and prevents brute-force attempts without interacting with the network.

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.

✗
Switch to WPA2-Enterprise with 802.1X and a RADIUS server.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While WPA2-Enterprise is more secure, it still uses a 4-way handshake that can be captured; the attacker would need to crack the user's credentials instead of a PSK.
✗
Increase the WPA2-PSK passphrase length to 63 characters.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A longer passphrase makes cracking harder but does not prevent the handshake capture; an attacker with enough time could still crack it.
✓
Upgrade to WPA3-SAE.
Why this is correct
Correct. WPA3-SAE uses SAE, which eliminates the possibility of offline dictionary attacks by design, making handshake capture useless.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable MAC address filtering on the access point.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. MAC filtering does not affect the handshake or encryption; it only controls which devices can connect.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Cisco often tests the misconception that simply strengthening WPA2-PSK (e.g., longer passphrase) or adding MAC filtering is sufficient, when the core vulnerability is the offline-crackable 4-way handshake itself, which only WPA3-SAE fundamentally addresses.

Trap categories for this question

Keyword trap
Incorrect. A longer passphrase makes cracking harder but does not prevent the handshake capture; an attacker with enough time could still crack it.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

WPA3-SAE uses a dragonfly handshake based on the Password Authenticated Key Exchange (PAKE) protocol defined in IEEE 802.11-2016 and RFC 7664. The key insight is that SAE requires an attacker to actively guess the password against the access point in real time, rather than passively capturing a hash and cracking offline; each guess requires a full authentication exchange, making large-scale attacks impractical. In real-world deployments, WPA3 also mandates Protected Management Frames (PMF), which further prevents deauthentication attacks that could force a re-handshake capture.

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 junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.

Quick reference

Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison

Algorithm	Key Exchange	Signatures	Equivalent Security Key	Notes
RSA-3072	Yes	Yes	128-bit	Widely deployed; slow for bulk data
ECDSA P-256	No	Yes	128-bit	Fast signatures; standard TLS certs
ECDH / ECDHE	Yes	No	128-bit	Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3
DH / DHE	Yes	No	128-bit (3072-bit key)	Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS
Ed25519	No	Yes	~128-bit	SSH keys, modern PKI

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 220-1202 question test?

Wireless Security Protocols — This question tests Wireless Security Protocols — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Upgrade to WPA3-SAE. — WPA3-SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) replaces the WPA2-PSK 4-way handshake with a protocol that uses a Diffie-Hellman key exchange, making it resistant to offline dictionary attacks. Even if an attacker captures the SAE handshake, they cannot crack the passphrase offline because the key exchange provides forward secrecy and prevents brute-force attempts without interacting with the network.

What should I do if I get this 220-1202 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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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on 220-1202

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A security incident occurs where an attacker captures the 4-way handshake of a WPA2-PSK network and successfully cracks the passphrase offline. The technician is tasked with preventing this type of attack in the future. Which protocol should the technician implement?

hard

A.WPA2-PSK with a longer passphrase.
✓ B.WPA3-SAE.
C.WPA2-Enterprise with PEAP-MSCHAPv2.
D.WPA2-PSK with TKIP.

Why B: WPA3-SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) replaces the pre-shared key (PSK) model with a password-authenticated key exchange that is resistant to offline dictionary attacks. Unlike WPA2-PSK, which transmits a hash of the password in the 4-way handshake that can be captured and cracked offline, SAE uses a zero-knowledge proof protocol that prevents an attacker from deriving the password from captured handshake data, even if they have the full handshake.

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