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Which protocol ensures data confidentiality on wireless networks equivalent to wired LANs?

  1. WPA

  2. WPA3

  3. WEP

  4. WPA2

The correct answer is: WEP

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) was one of the original security protocols designed to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a level of security and privacy comparable to what is usually expected of a wired LAN. However, WEP is now recognized as weak and vulnerable to various attacks, and it has largely been replaced by more secure protocols. In contrast, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), WPA2, and WPA3 represent advancements in wireless network security. These protocols incorporate stronger encryption methods, better authentication processes, and improved integrity checks compared to WEP. WPA2, for instance, uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which significantly enhances confidentiality. WPA3 further improves upon this by implementing even stronger encryption and security features. Given the advancement in the field of wireless security, WEP is not a suitable answer for ensuring data confidentiality equivalent to that of wired LANs. Therefore, while the choice indicates WEP, the correct understanding should identify WPA2 or WPA3 as the protocols that effectively ensure confidentiality on wireless networks comparable to wired LANs in modern contexts.