What Wi-Fi encryption standard should a retail company use to comply with PCI DSS?

The appropriate Wi-Fi encryption standard for a retail company to comply with PCI DSS is WPA2 with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). This choice is essential because PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) mandates that sensitive cardholder data must be protected, and using strong encryption is a critical component of this.

WPA2 is a robust security protocol that provides strong encryption capabilities through AES, which is considered highly secure and is widely used in various security applications. The use of AES is important as it ensures that the data transmitted over the wireless network is encrypted adequately, making it difficult for unauthorized users to access sensitive information.

Choosing WPA with Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) is not ideal for compliance because while TKIP was an improvement over WEP, it is now considered less secure than AES and is susceptible to various attacks. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption is outdated and has numerous vulnerabilities, making it unsuitable for any secure environment, particularly where sensitive data is involved. An open network, without any encryption, exposes all transmitted data to potential interception by attackers, leaving the company's data completely unprotected.

In summary, for a retail company seeking to adhere to PCI DSS requirements, implementing WPA2 with AES is the best practice to ensure the security