What method does the Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) replace in wireless security?

Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) is designed to enhance wireless security by addressing vulnerabilities present in older methods used for authenticating devices on a Wi-Fi network. Specifically, SAE replaces the WPA2 Pre-Shared Key Handshake.

The WPA2 Pre-Shared Key (PSK) handshake was the standard method for authenticating clients in a personal network setup, where both parties share the same passphrase. However, this method is susceptible to certain attacks, notably offline dictionary attacks, where an attacker could capture the handshake and then attempt to guess the password using various tools and techniques.

SAE improves security by using a password-based key establishment protocol that provides a stronger level of protection against these types of attacks. It finalizes the authentication process without exposing the password itself during the initial handshake. Consequently, as devices authenticate each other, they generate session keys independently and simultaneously, significantly enhancing the overall security and resilience of the Wi-Fi connection.

While WEP authentication, open system authentication, and WPA2 enterprise authentication are also methods used in wireless security, they do not directly relate to replacing the WPA2 PSK handshake specifically. WEP is an outdated and vulnerable security protocol, open system authentication does not require a shared password, and WPA2 enterprise