Term
 Definition
Access Point A wireless device which provides Wi-Fi signal to client devices.
BSSID “Basic Service Set Identifier”, the MAC address of an access point
EAPOL “Extended Authentication Packet Over LAN”; When mentioned here, an EAPOL packet is part of a WPA handshake.
GNSS “Global Navigation Satellite System”; the technically accurate term for any of several global positioning systems, including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo
GPS “Global Positioning System”, often used as an encompassing term for any satellite-based positioning, but technically only the system owned and operated by the United States. See also GNSS*
MAC Address A unique (typically 6 byte) address assigned to a network interface. MAC addresses identify an Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other types of devices.
Monitor mode A firmware mode for a Wi-Fi adapter which allows capture of raw 802.11 packets, without being associated to a network. Monitor mode is supported by most, but not all, Wi-Fi adapters under Linux, but frequently is not available on other operating systems. Monitor mode is a crucial part of the Pineapple Recon system.
PMKID The hashed result of a WPA network PSK and SSID; When mentioned here, a PMKID packet is part of a WPA handshake generated by the EvilWPA access point. Typically less reliable than a full WPA handshake for discovering the original PSK, but still a viable attack.
PSK “Pre-Shared Key”; The secret key used on a WPA network, or the WPA network password.
SSID Service Set Identifier, or more correctly, the ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier). The SSID is the name advertised for a Wi-Fi network.
WPA A generic term for “Wi-Fi Protected Access”, the current-generation suite of encryption and authentication standards for Wi-Fi. Sometimes also used to refer to WPA1, the informal name for the first revision of the WPA standards. WPA1 is considered weakened and dangerous to use on new networks at this point.
WPA2 A generic term for the second generation of WPA standards. WPA2 mandates a stronger encryption suite than WPA1 and includes additional protections. WPA2 is the most commonly deployed network type.
WPA3 A generic term for the third generation of WPA standards. The WPA3 suite attemts to address vulnerabilities in the WPA1 and WPA2 standards which allow for access point impersonation, client disconnection, and offline attacks against captured handshakes. The WPA3 suite also introduces encrypted networks without a pre-shared password. Currently very few networks use WPA3 protection, but it is mandated for newer Wi-Fi standards such as Wi-Fi 6e on 6GHz.
WPA3-OWE “Opportunistic Wireless Encryption”; the new standard for WPA3 networks operating in ‘open’ mode. An OWE-enabled network does not require a password to join, but does a key exchange when the client connects which encrypts the data on a per-user basis. OWE does not prevent impersonation, but does protect data packets from being captured via monitoring.