Which statement about WEP is true?

Which statement about WEP is true?

• A. WEP is a strong algorithm with no known weaknesses.
• B. WEP can be cracked with readily available software within minutes.
• C. WEP is deprecated and not used anymore.
• D. WEP is only used in wired networks.

Answer: (B)

WEP’s weaknesses come from how it handles the encryption key and the initialization vector. It uses a RC4 stream cipher with a 24-bit Initialization Vector that’s sent in clear text and reused too often in busy networks. Because the IV space is small, IVs repeat, allowing attackers to observe many keystream patterns and perform statistical attacks to recover the key. With standard, readily available wireless analysis tools, a WEP-protected network can often be cracked in minutes once enough traffic is captured. That’s why the statement about rapid cracking is true. The other options misstate WEP’s reality: it is not strong and has known weaknesses, it’s not commonly used in modern networks (it’s deprecated), and WEP is for wireless, not for wired networks. Modern Wi‑Fi security uses WPA2 or WPA3.

WEP’s weaknesses come from how it handles the encryption key and the initialization vector. It uses a RC4 stream cipher with a 24-bit Initialization Vector that’s sent in clear text and reused too often in busy networks. Because the IV space is small, IVs repeat, allowing attackers to observe many keystream patterns and perform statistical attacks to recover the key. With standard, readily available wireless analysis tools, a WEP-protected network can often be cracked in minutes once enough traffic is captured. That’s why the statement about rapid cracking is true. The other options misstate WEP’s reality: it is not strong and has known weaknesses, it’s not commonly used in modern networks (it’s deprecated), and WEP is for wireless, not for wired networks. Modern Wi‑Fi security uses WPA2 or WPA3.