Which technology is designed to simplify the onboarding process for wireless devices but may affect security if misconfigured?

Which technology is designed to simplify the onboarding process for wireless devices but may affect security if misconfigured?

• A. WiFi Protected Setup (WPS)
• B. WPA3
• C. MAC Filtering
• D. VPN

Answer: (A)

WPS is designed to simplify adding wireless devices to a network by using a push-button method or a short PIN. The push-button approach makes it quick to connect without typing a password, which is why it’s popular for easy onboarding. But the PIN method introduces a security flaw: the eight-digit PIN can be brute-forced to reveal the network’s password, and many devices don’t enforce strong lockout after failed attempts. If WPS is enabled and misconfigured, an attacker could exploit this weakness to gain access to the wireless network. The other options don’t fit because WPA3 focuses on securing data in transit, MAC filtering is a basic access control that can be bypassed, and a VPN provides secure remote access rather than simplifying local wireless device onboarding.

WPS is designed to simplify adding wireless devices to a network by using a push-button method or a short PIN. The push-button approach makes it quick to connect without typing a password, which is why it’s popular for easy onboarding. But the PIN method introduces a security flaw: the eight-digit PIN can be brute-forced to reveal the network’s password, and many devices don’t enforce strong lockout after failed attempts. If WPS is enabled and misconfigured, an attacker could exploit this weakness to gain access to the wireless network. The other options don’t fit because WPA3 focuses on securing data in transit, MAC filtering is a basic access control that can be bypassed, and a VPN provides secure remote access rather than simplifying local wireless device onboarding.