Which component is preserved in WPA2 for interoperability?

WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) is designed to enhance the security of wireless networks, and one of its critical aspects is maintaining interoperability with older systems. TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is the component that allows for this interoperability.

While AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is the primary encryption method used in WPA2 for its strong security features, TKIP was included in WPA2 primarily to support devices that only had WPA capabilities, which relied on TKIP for security. This was important because many older devices were not capable of supporting AES, which prompted the inclusion of TKIP in WPA2 to ensure that these devices could still connect to the network without requiring immediate upgrades.

In contrast, CCMP (Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol), which is built on AES, is used for providing stronger security but does not facilitate interoperability with older technology. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is also not preserved in WPA2 due to its security vulnerabilities and has been phased out in favor of more secure protocols.

Therefore, TKIP is the correct answer because it was preserved in WPA2 specifically for the purpose of enabling interoperability with older wireless devices that still utilize this protocol.