To prevent hacker access to passwords and IP addresses, why would you place wireless access points (AP) on switches instead of hubs?

To prevent hacker access to passwords and IP addresses, why would you place wireless access points (AP) on switches instead of hubs?

• A. Switches prevent the broadcast of packets to all network segments
• B. Switches encrypt all traffic automatically
• C. Switches increase wireless range
• D. Switches require less power

Answer: (B)

When you place wireless APs on switches, you’re leveraging traffic isolation to improve security. A switch learns which device has which MAC address and only forwards frames to the specific port that leads to that device. That means a piece of traffic from a wireless client isn’t broadcast to every device on the network; it goes to the intended recipient. For someone trying to sniff passwords or IP addresses, this greatly reduces the chance they’ll see other users’ traffic just by plugging into the network, especially when you also use VLANs or other segmentation to separate management and AP traffic from end-user traffic. It’s important to note that switches don’t automatically encrypt all traffic. Encryption for sensitive data comes from wireless security (like WPA2/WPA3) and, if needed, additional protections such as VPNs or encrypted protocols. The key security benefit here is the way switches limit who can receive traffic, not automatic encryption by the switch itself.

When you place wireless APs on switches, you’re leveraging traffic isolation to improve security. A switch learns which device has which MAC address and only forwards frames to the specific port that leads to that device. That means a piece of traffic from a wireless client isn’t broadcast to every device on the network; it goes to the intended recipient. For someone trying to sniff passwords or IP addresses, this greatly reduces the chance they’ll see other users’ traffic just by plugging into the network, especially when you also use VLANs or other segmentation to separate management and AP traffic from end-user traffic.

It’s important to note that switches don’t automatically encrypt all traffic. Encryption for sensitive data comes from wireless security (like WPA2/WPA3) and, if needed, additional protections such as VPNs or encrypted protocols. The key security benefit here is the way switches limit who can receive traffic, not automatic encryption by the switch itself.