Practice Test Geeks(CWS) Certified Wireless Specialist Practice Test
← All CWS Flashcard Decks

Wireless Security & Troubleshooting Techniques Flashcards

7 cards from real CWS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Wireless Security & Troubleshooting Techniques flashcards as text

  1. A CWS technician configures a captive portal for a guest WLAN. After connecting, guests receive an IP but are never redirected to the portal page. What is the MOST likely cause?

    Answer: DNS not resolving hostnames so the HTTP redirect cannot be triggered

    Captive portals rely on intercepting HTTP requests, which requires DNS resolution to succeed first; if DNS fails, browsers cannot make the initial request that triggers the redirect.

  2. Which metric BEST indicates whether a wireless client will experience high data rates: RSSI alone or SNR?

    Answer: SNR, because throughput depends on signal quality relative to noise, not just signal strength

    SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) accounts for both signal strength and background noise; a high RSSI in a noisy environment can still result in poor throughput.

  3. What is the role of the 'pairwise master key' (PMK) in the WPA2 four-way handshake?

    Answer: It is derived from the PSK or EAP authentication and used to generate the PTK

    The PMK is the root key material from which the Pairwise Transient Key (PTK) is derived during the four-way handshake; it is never sent over the air.

  4. A user reports they can connect to the WLAN and browse the internet, but cannot reach internal corporate servers. The WLAN has separate guest and employee SSIDs on different VLANs. What is the MOST likely issue?

    Answer: The user is connected to the guest SSID/VLAN instead of the employee SSID/VLAN

    Guest VLANs typically only allow internet access and are firewall-blocked from internal resources; the user likely connected to the wrong SSID.

  5. During a wireless security audit, the auditor discovers the AP is using TKIP instead of CCMP. What risk does this introduce?

    Answer: Vulnerability to known TKIP attacks such as the Beck-Tews attack, and lower cryptographic strength than AES-CCMP

    TKIP was a stopgap replacement for WEP and has known vulnerabilities; CCMP (AES) is the current standard and provides significantly stronger protection.

  6. Which 802.11 feature allows a client to remain associated with an AP while transitioning between VLANs without re-authenticating, commonly used in voice deployments?

    Answer: 802.11r Fast BSS Transition (FT)

    802.11r pre-establishes security keys at the target AP before the client moves, enabling fast roaming with minimal disruption—critical for latency-sensitive voice traffic.

  7. A site survey reveals -85 dBm RSSI at a client location. The noise floor is -95 dBm. What is the SNR, and is it sufficient for reliable 802.11ac connectivity?

    Answer: SNR = 10 dB; marginal to insufficient for high MCS rates

    SNR = signal – noise floor = -85 – (-95) = 10 dB, which is too low for reliable 802.11ac at higher MCS rates (25+ dB SNR is preferred).