SSCP Network and Communications Security Practice Question
During a security audit, a penetration tester successfully extracts the PMKID from a wireless beacon. What information can be derived from this attack?
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
✓
The ability to crack the passphrase offline
The PMKID attack allows offline brute-forcing of the WPA2-PSK passphrase by computing the PMKID locally and comparing it to the captured value.
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 PMK (pairwise master key) directly
Why it's wrong here
The PMK is derived from the PSK and SSID; the PMKID is derived from the PMK.
- ✓
The ability to crack the passphrase offline
Why this is correct
The PMKID can be used to verify passphrase guesses offline.
- ✗
The encryption keys used in the session
Why it's wrong here
Session keys are derived after the handshake, not from PMKID alone.
- ✗
The PSK (pre-shared key) directly
Why it's wrong here
The PMKID does not contain the PSK directly; it requires brute-forcing.
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SSCP
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. During a security assessment, a penetration tester discovers that the network uses WPA2-PSK. Which attack could be used to recover the pre-shared key without interacting with the access point after capturing a single handshake?
medium- A.Deauthentication attack
- B.KRACK attack
- C.Evil twin attack
- ✓ D.PMKID attack
Why D: The PMKID attack allows offline cracking of the PSK using information from the first frame of the 4-way handshake, even without a full handshake.
Variation 2. During a wireless penetration test, an attacker captures the four-way handshake of a WPA2-PSK network and attempts to crack the passphrase offline. Which attack is the attacker likely using?
hard- A.WPS PIN attack
- B.KRACK attack
- ✓ C.Evil twin attack
- D.PMKID attack
Why C: In the given scenario, the attacker captures the four-way handshake of a WPA2-PSK network. The most likely method to capture such a handshake is an evil twin attack, where the attacker sets up a rogue access point impersonating a legitimate network. Once a client connects to the rogue AP, the attacker captures the handshake and can then attempt to crack the passphrase offline using dictionary or brute-force attacks.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.