Which of the following measures offers strong security?

• A. Turning off SSID broadcasting
• B. MAC access control lists
• C. Both A and B
• D. Neither A nor B

Answer: (D)

Wireless security relies on strong encryption and proper authentication, not on obscurity or basic access controls. Hiding the SSID is security through obscurity: it may keep casual observers from seeing the network name, but it does not stop a determined attacker. Probing and traffic analysis can reveal the network, and legitimate clients can still disclose the SSID when connecting or communicating, so this offers little real protection and can complicate legitimate use.

MAC address filtering is likewise weak. MAC addresses can be spoofed, and an attacker can simply imitate an allowed device or shift to a new MAC to bypass the filter. It also doesn’t scale well for many users and doesn’t defend against rogue APs or attackers who connect through other means.

Stronger security comes from using robust encryption and authentication, such as WPA2 or WPA3 with a strong passphrase or 802.1X with EAP, along with other best practices. Therefore, neither hiding the SSID nor MAC filtering provides strong security.