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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Intermediate

Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP)

EAP method that creates a TLS tunnel using only a server certificate, then authenticates the user inside it.

Definition

PEAP protects inner authentication, usually MSCHAPv2 with username and password, within an encrypted tunnel. Only the server needs a certificate, so deployment is easier than EAP-TLS. Clients must validate the server certificate, or attackers using rogue access points can capture credentials.

Example

Users connect to corporate Wi-Fi with their AD credentials via PEAP-MSCHAPv2.

Exam tip

PEAP needs only a server certificate; failing to validate it enables evil twin credential theft.

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