Which security threat involves exploiting the WPS feature via brute-force PIN attempts?

Which security threat involves exploiting the WPS feature via brute-force PIN attempts?

• A. Geofencing
• B. Evil twin
• C. War driving
• D. WPS/brute force attack

Answer: (D)

Exploiting the WPS feature through brute-force PIN attempts targets a flaw in Wi-Fi Protected Setup. WPS was designed to make joining a wireless network easier by using a PIN or a push-button method. The PIN method, however, has a weakness: the 8-digit PIN is verified in two halves and the final digit is a checksum, which dramatically reduces the effective search space and allows offline guessing. An attacker can systematically try PINs until the correct one is found, and once the PIN is known, they can connect to the network and access traffic. This is different from geofencing, which uses location-based access controls; evil twin, which involves impersonating a legitimate AP to capture data, and war driving, which is simply scanning for networks while moving around.

Exploiting the WPS feature through brute-force PIN attempts targets a flaw in Wi-Fi Protected Setup. WPS was designed to make joining a wireless network easier by using a PIN or a push-button method. The PIN method, however, has a weakness: the 8-digit PIN is verified in two halves and the final digit is a checksum, which dramatically reduces the effective search space and allows offline guessing. An attacker can systematically try PINs until the correct one is found, and once the PIN is known, they can connect to the network and access traffic. This is different from geofencing, which uses location-based access controls; evil twin, which involves impersonating a legitimate AP to capture data, and war driving, which is simply scanning for networks while moving around.