Which protocol is considered more secure than PAP?

The chosen answer, CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol), is indeed considered more secure than PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) due to its use of a challenge-response mechanism for authentication.

CHAP works by employing a three-step process where the server sends a challenge to the client, which must then respond with a value derived from the challenge combined with the client's password. This ensures that the actual password is not transmitted over the network, thereby significantly reducing the risk of password interception.

In contrast, PAP transmits the password in clear text, making it vulnerable to eavesdropping and other forms of attacks. By using a hashed value based on a challenge, CHAP enhances security by ensuring that even if the data transmission is intercepted, the attackers do not have access to the plaintext password.

The other options, such as BOOTP (Bootstrap Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), and ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), do not address authentication and are not protocols that are focused on security. BOOTP is primarily used for network booting, UDP is a transport layer protocol that does not guarantee secure connections, and ICMP is used for network diagnostics and error reporting, not authentication. Therefore, they do not provide the secure authentication mechanism that CHAP