CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Questions and Answers

A capture visualization tool is a software application that can open a packet capture file and display various graphs, charts, tables, and statistics that illustrate the characteristics and behavior of the wireless network. A capture visualization tool can help a network administrator with little knowledge of 802.11 protocols to evaluate the overall health and performance of their wireless network by providing a visual and intuitive representation of the captured data. A spectrum analyzer is a hardware device that measures the radio frequency signals in a given frequency range and displays their amplitude, frequency, and modulation. A spectrum analyzer can help identify sources of interference and noise in the wireless environment, but it cannot open a packet capture file. Python is a programming language that can be used to write scripts or applications that manipulate or analyze packet capture files, but it requires coding skills and knowledge of 802.11 protocols. A WLAN scanner is a software application that scans for available wireless networks and displays information such as SSID, BSSID, channel, signal strength, security type, and vendor. A WLAN scanner can help discover wireless networks and their basic parameters, but it cannot open a packet capture file345 References:

• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 2: Protocol Analysis, page 63
• CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 2.5: Use capture visualization tools
• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Spectrum Analysis and Troubleshooting, page 117
• CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 4.1: Use spectrum analysis tools
• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 2: Protocol Analysis, page 33
• CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 2.2: Analyze field values

A hexadecimal value is a value that uses base 16 notation, which means it can have digits from 0 to 9 and letters from A to F. A hexadecimal value is usually preceded by 0x to indicate that it is hexadecimal and not decimal or binary. For example, 0x0A is hexadecimal for 10 in decimal or 00001010 in binary. The other options are not valid prefixes for hexadecimal values.References:

• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 2: Protocol Analysis, page 35
• CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 2.2: Analyze field values

An AIFS is a variable interframe space introduced by 802.11e to help prioritize medium access for different Access Categories (ACs). An interframe space is a period of time that a STA (station) has to wait before attempting to access the medium. An AIFS is a type of interframe space that varies depending on the AC of the traffic. An AC is a logical queue that corresponds to a QoS (Quality of Service) level for different types of traffic. There are four ACs defined by 802.11e: AC_VO (Voice), AC_VI (Video), AC_BE (Best Effort), and AC_BK (Background). Each AC has a different AIFSN (Arbitration Interframe Space Number) value, which determines how long it has to wait before attempting to access the medium. A lower AIFSN value means a higher priority and a shorter waiting time. The other options are not correct, as they do not describe what an AIFS is. An AIFS is not a medium access method introduced by 802.11n, but never implemented, as it is part of the 802.11e standard and widely used in QoS-enabled WLANs. An AIFS is not a form of aggregation performed at the PHY layer based on 802.11e UP values interpreted from DSCP values, as aggregation is a technique that combines multiple frames into one larger frame to improve efficiency and throughput, not prioritization or medium access. An AIFS is not the shortest period of time a STA can sleep, as sleeping is a power saving mode that allows a STA to conserve battery power by periodically turning off its radio, not accessing the medium. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 7: QoS Analysis, page 194-195

Two frames are exchanged for 802.11 authentication in the 6 GHz band when WPA3-Enterprise is not used, and a passphrase is used instead. Authentication is a process that establishes an identity relationship between a STA (station) and an AP (access point) before joining a BSS (Basic Service Set). There are two types of authentication methods defined by 802.11: Open System Authentication and Shared Key Authentication. Open System Authentication does not require any credentials or security information from a STA to join a BSS, and it consists of two frames: an Authentication Request frame sent by the STA to the AP, and an Authentication Response frame sent by the AP to the STA. Shared Key Authentication requires a shared secret key from a STA to join a BSS, and it consists of four frames: two challenge-response frames in addition to the request-response frames. However, Shared Key Authentication uses WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) as its encryption algorithm, which is insecure and deprecated. In the 6 GHz band, which is a newly available frequency band for WLANs, Shared Key Authentication is prohibited by the 802.11 standard, as it poses security and interference risks for other users and services in the band. The 6 GHz band requires all WLANs to use WPA3-Personal or WPA3-Enterprise encryption methods, which are more secure and robust than previous encryption methods such as WPA2 or WEP. WPA3-Personal uses a passphrase to derive a PMK (Pairwise Master Key), while WPA3-Enterprise uses an authentication server to obtain a PMK. Both methods use SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) as their authentication protocol, which replaces PSK (Pre-Shared Key) or EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol). SAE consists of two frames: an SAE Commit frame sent by both parties to exchange elliptic curve parameters and nonces, and an SAE Confirm frame sent by both parties to verify each other’s identities and generate a PMK. Therefore, when WPA3-Enterprise is not used, and a passphrase is used instead in the 6 GHz band, only two frames are exchanged for 802.11 authentication: an SAECommit frame and an SAE Confirm frame. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 8: Security Analysis, page 220-221

The function of the PHY preamble is to allow the receiver to detect and synchronize with the signal. The PHY preamble is a part of the PPDU that is transmitted before the PHY header and the PSDU. The PHY preamble consists of a series of training fields that help the receiver to adjust its parameters, such as frequency, timing, and gain, to match the incoming signal. The PHY preamble also helps the receiver to estimate the channel conditions and noise level. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 4: 802.11 Physical Layer, page 99-100

802.11k Neighbor Requests and Neighbor Reports are sent in Action frames. An Action frame is a Management frame that is used to perform various operations or functions related to the operation or maintenance of a wireless network. An Action frame consists of a Category field that indicates the type of action being performed, and a variable-length Action Details field that contains specific information related to the action. For example, an Action frame with a Category field value of 5 indicates a Radio Measurement action, and the Action Details field may contain a Neighbor Request or a Neighbor Report subelement . References: CWAP-404 CertifiedWireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 207; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 208; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 12: 802.11k/v/r/u/w/ai Amendments, page 434.

The PHY layer provides framing by adding a header to create a PPDU. A PPDU (PHY Protocol Data Unit) is the data unit that is transmitted or received over the wireless medium by the PHY layer. A PPDU consists of a PSDU (PHY Service Data Unit) and a PHY header, which contains information such as modulation, coding, and data rate. The PHY layer adds the PHY header to the PSDU to create a PPDU for transmission, or removes the PHY header from the PPDU to extract the PSDU for reception. The other options are not correct, as they are not created by adding a header at the PHY layer. An MPDU (MAC Protocol Data Unit) is created by adding a MAC header and FCS to an MSDU (MAC Service Data Unit) at the MAC layer. An MSDU is the data unit that is passed from the LLC sublayer to the MAC sublayer or vice versa. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 4: 802.11 Physical Layer, page 97-98

The 4-way handshake is the process that establishes the pairwise transient key (PTK) between the client and the AP in WPA2-PSK. The PTK is derived from the PSK, the SSID, and some random numbers exchanged in the handshake frames. The PTK is used to encrypt and decrypt the data frames between the client and the AP. Therefore, in order to decrypt WPA2-PSK data packets, a protocol analyzer needs to capture the 4-way handshake frames and have the PSK and SSID configured in the analyzer software12 References:

• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 3: 802.11 MAC Layer Frame Formats and Technologies, page 87
• CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 3.5: Analyze security exchanges

The beamformee transmits a Feedback Matrix within the Compressed Beamforming frame to the beamformer. The Feedback Matrix contains information about the channel state between the beamformee and each spatial stream of the beamformer. This information is used by the beamformer to adjust its transmit weights and optimize its signal for the beamformee34. References: CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 11: 802.11n/ac/ax PHYsical Layer Frame Exchanges, page 4033; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 11: 802.11n/ac/ax PHYsical Layer Frame Exchanges, page 4064.

All data frames will be retransmitted in this scenario. This is because the AP uses a Block Ack (BA) mechanism to acknowledge the receipt of multiple data frames from a client in a single frame. The BA contains a bitmap that indicates which data frames were received correctly and which were not. If the BA is not received by the AP due to frame corruption, the AP will assume that none of the data frames were received by the client and will retransmit all of them. The other options are not correct, as they do not account for the loss of the BA or the use of the bitmap. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 6: 802.11 Frame Exchanges, page 167-168

Receive sensitivity is the minimum signal level that a receiver can detect and decode. Different devices may have different receive sensitivity levels depending on their hardware specifications and antenna configurations. In this scenario, the portable analyzer has a lower receive sensitivity than the AP, meaning that it requires a stronger signal to capture the packets from the client STA. The AP, on the other hand, has a higher receive sensitivity and can receive the packets from the client STA even if they have a weaker signal. This explains why the portable analyzer can only see unidirectional traffic from the AP to the client when capturing near the AP5 References:

• CWAP-403 Study Guide, Chapter 4: PHY Layer Analysis, page 121
• CWAP-403 Objectives, Section 4.3: Analyze PHY layer metrics

The most likely cause of higher airtime utilization on the first 20 MHz of the 80 MHz channel is non-Wi-Fi interference. Non-Wi-Fi interference can prevent an AP from using its full channel width, as it will degrade the signal quality and increase the noise floor on some parts of the channel. This will force the AP to fall back to a narrower channel width, such as 20 MHz or 40 MHz, to maintain communication with its clients. The waterfall plot can help identify non-Wi-Fi interference by showing spikes or bursts of RF energy on specific frequencies or sub-channels. The other options are not correct, as they do not explain why only the first 20 MHz of the channel has higher airtime utilization. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide], Chapter 3: Spectrum Analysis, page 74-75

A PHY header is added to the PSDU at the PHY layer. A PHY header is a part of the PPDU that contains information such as modulation, coding, and data rate. The PHY header is added by the PHY layer when it converts a PSDU to a PPDU for transmission, or removed by the PHY layer when it converts a PPDU to a PSDU for reception. The other layers do not add or remove a PHY header. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 4: 802.11 Physical Layer, page 97-98

An 802.11 wireless adaptor is required for Wi-Fi integration in laptop-based spectrum analyzer software in addition to the spectrum analysis adapter. The spectrum analysis adapter is a hardware device that captures the RF signals in the wireless environment and sends them to the spectrum analyzer software for analysis and display. The 802.11 wireless adapter is a hardware device that connects the laptop to the wireless network and allows the spectrum analyzer software to correlate the RF data with the Wi-Fi data, such as SSID, channel, and BSSID. This enables the spectrum analyzer software to provide more context and insight into the spectrum activity and its impact on the Wi-Fi network. A firmware upgrade for the spectrum analysis adapter is not required for Wi-Fi integration, but it may be needed to fix bugs or add features to the device. A directional antenna is an antenna that focuses the RF energy in a specific direction and has a high gain and a narrow beamwidth. A directional antenna can be used with a spectrum analysis adapter to pinpoint the location or source of interference or noise in the wireless environment, but it is not required for Wi-Fi integration. SNMP read credentials to the WLAN controller or APs are not required for Wi-Fi integration, but they may be useful for obtaining additional information about the wireless network configuration and performance from the network devices.References:

• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Spectrum Analysis and Troubleshooting, page 123
• CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 4.2: Integrate Wi-Fi data with spectrum analysis data
• CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Spectrum Analysis and Troubleshooting, page 131

The Swept Spectrogram plot is a spectrum analysis plot that shows the RF power present at a particular frequency over the course of time. It can help identify trends and patterns in the RF spectrum over a longer period of time. It can also show how the RF environment changes over time and how different sources of RF signals affect each other. The other options are not correct, as they describe different types of plots or information that are not related to the Swept Spectrogram plot. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide], Chapter 3: Spectrum Analysis, page 72-73