Exam 312-50v13 Topic 1 Question 603 Discussion
Actual exam question for ECCouncil's 312-50v13 exam
Question #: 603
Topic #: 1
Question #: 603
Topic #: 1
An attacker identified that a user and an access point are both compatible with WPA2 and WPA3 encryption.
The attacker installed a rogue access point with only WPA2 compatibility in the vicinity and forced the victim to go through the WPA2 four-way handshake to get connected. After the connection was established, the attacker used automated tools to crack WPA2-encrypted messages. What is the attack performed in the above scenario?
The attacker installed a rogue access point with only WPA2 compatibility in the vicinity and forced the victim to go through the WPA2 four-way handshake to get connected. After the connection was established, the attacker used automated tools to crack WPA2-encrypted messages. What is the attack performed in the above scenario?
Suggested Answer: C Vote an answer
The described attack is a Downgrade Security Attack. In this scenario:
* The legitimate client and access point support both WPA2 and WPA3.
* The attacker introduces a rogue AP that only supports WPA2.
* The victim connects to this rogue AP using WPA2 (less secure) instead of WPA3.
* Once downgraded, the attacker captures the handshake and attempts to crack the WPA2 encryption.
This is known as a "Downgrade Attack" or "Downgrade Negotiation Attack," which exploits backward compatibility in security protocols.
Incorrect Options:
* A. Timing-based attacks usually refer to side-channel analysis, not protocol downgrading.
* B. Side-channel attacks extract info via timing, power usage, etc., not protocol negotiation.
* D. Cache-based attacks exploit memory caching behavior.
Reference - CEH v13 Official Courseware:
Module 16: Hacking Wireless Networks
Section: "Wireless Encryption Attacks"
Subsection: "Downgrade Attacks (WPA3 to WPA2) and Rogue Access Points"
* The legitimate client and access point support both WPA2 and WPA3.
* The attacker introduces a rogue AP that only supports WPA2.
* The victim connects to this rogue AP using WPA2 (less secure) instead of WPA3.
* Once downgraded, the attacker captures the handshake and attempts to crack the WPA2 encryption.
This is known as a "Downgrade Attack" or "Downgrade Negotiation Attack," which exploits backward compatibility in security protocols.
Incorrect Options:
* A. Timing-based attacks usually refer to side-channel analysis, not protocol downgrading.
* B. Side-channel attacks extract info via timing, power usage, etc., not protocol negotiation.
* D. Cache-based attacks exploit memory caching behavior.
Reference - CEH v13 Official Courseware:
Module 16: Hacking Wireless Networks
Section: "Wireless Encryption Attacks"
Subsection: "Downgrade Attacks (WPA3 to WPA2) and Rogue Access Points"
by Violet at Sep 19, 2026, 10:45 AM
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