Which term describes restricting access to a network based on hardware MAC addresses?

Which term describes restricting access to a network based on hardware MAC addresses?

• A. IEEE 802.1X
• B. RADIUS
• C. MAC filtering
• D. Supplicant

Answer: (C)

Restricting access to a network based on hardware MAC addresses is called MAC filtering. It works at the data-link layer by maintaining a list of allowed (or blocked) MAC addresses on a network device such as a wireless access point. When a device tries to connect, the device’s MAC address is checked and access is granted if it’s on the allowed list. This provides a straightforward way to control who can join, but it’s weak security because MAC addresses can be observed over the air and easily spoofed, allowing an attacker to imitate an allowed device or bypass the filter. Because of that, MAC filtering is best used as a basic, supplementary control rather than a sole defense. By contrast, IEEE 802.1X is a framework that enforces authentication through an authenticator and a backend server (often RADIUS) to verify credentials, rather than simply relying on a device’s MAC. The RADIUS server performs the actual authentication, and the supplicant is the client side that provides credentials to be validated through that framework. Those concepts describe authentication mechanisms, not the practice of filtering by MAC addresses.

Restricting access to a network based on hardware MAC addresses is called MAC filtering. It works at the data-link layer by maintaining a list of allowed (or blocked) MAC addresses on a network device such as a wireless access point. When a device tries to connect, the device’s MAC address is checked and access is granted if it’s on the allowed list. This provides a straightforward way to control who can join, but it’s weak security because MAC addresses can be observed over the air and easily spoofed, allowing an attacker to imitate an allowed device or bypass the filter. Because of that, MAC filtering is best used as a basic, supplementary control rather than a sole defense. By contrast, IEEE 802.1X is a framework that enforces authentication through an authenticator and a backend server (often RADIUS) to verify credentials, rather than simply relying on a device’s MAC. The RADIUS server performs the actual authentication, and the supplicant is the client side that provides credentials to be validated through that framework. Those concepts describe authentication mechanisms, not the practice of filtering by MAC addresses.