This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of communication and network 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.
Which two methods provide strong encryption and authentication for wireless networks? (Choose TWO.)
WEP
Why wrong: WEP is deprecated and weak.
WPA2-PSK
Why wrong: Uses pre-shared key, less secure than enterprise.
WPA2-Enterprise
Uses 802.1X with RADIUS for strong authentication.
MAC filtering
Why wrong: MAC addresses can be spoofed; not encryption or authentication.
WPA3
Provides stronger encryption and authentication than WPA2.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
WPA2-Enterprise
WPA2-Enterprise (C) is correct because it uses IEEE 802.1X authentication with a RADIUS server, providing mutual authentication and per-session dynamic encryption keys via the 4-way handshake using AES-CCMP. WPA3 (E) is correct because it introduces Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) to replace the pre-shared key (PSK) handshake, offering forward secrecy and stronger encryption with GCMP-256, and also supports 802.1X for enterprise deployments.
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.
WEP
Why it's wrong here
WEP is deprecated and weak.
WPA2-PSK
Why it's wrong here
Uses pre-shared key, less secure than enterprise.
WPA2-Enterprise
MAC filtering
Why it's wrong here
MAC addresses can be spoofed; not encryption or authentication.
WPA3
Why this is correct
Provides stronger encryption and authentication than WPA2.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse WPA2-PSK with WPA2-Enterprise, assuming both provide strong authentication, but the exam tests the distinction that PSK lacks per-user authentication and is vulnerable to dictionary attacks, while Enterprise uses RADIUS for robust identity verification.
Detailed technical explanation
WPA2-Enterprise uses EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) over RADIUS to authenticate each user individually, generating unique pairwise transient keys (PTKs) per session via the 4-way handshake, preventing key reuse attacks. WPA3's SAE handshake uses a dragonfly key exchange based on discrete logarithm groups, which resists offline dictionary attacks even if the password is weak, and mandates management frame protection (PMF) to prevent deauthentication attacks. In a real-world scenario, WPA2-Enterprise is mandatory in corporate environments to enforce 802.1X with certificate-based EAP-TLS, while WPA3 is backward-compatible but requires hardware support for the new handshake.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
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
Communication and Network Security — This question tests Communication and Network Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: WPA2-Enterprise — WPA2-Enterprise (C) is correct because it uses IEEE 802.1X authentication with a RADIUS server, providing mutual authentication and per-session dynamic encryption keys via the 4-way handshake using AES-CCMP. WPA3 (E) is correct because it introduces Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) to replace the pre-shared key (PSK) handshake, offering forward secrecy and stronger encryption with GCMP-256, and also supports 802.1X for enterprise deployments.
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 CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CISSP exam.
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