Which protocol was commonly used for securing wireless networks but is now considered outdated?

WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, was one of the first protocols designed to secure wireless networks. It aimed to provide a level of security comparable to that of a wired network by encrypting data transmitted over wireless connections. However, WEP has significant vulnerabilities that were discovered soon after its release. It is susceptible to several types of attacks, which allow attackers to easily crack the encryption and gain unauthorized access to the network.

Due to these vulnerabilities, WEP is considered outdated and is no longer recommended for securing wireless networks. More secure protocols such as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2 have since been developed to address the weaknesses present in WEP, providing much stronger encryption methods and improved authentication processes. Therefore, while WEP was once commonly used, it has since been phased out in favor of more secure options, making it an unsuitable choice for modern wireless security.