Which mitigation is MOST appropriate to prevent or minimize the effects of wireless jamming on a network?

• A. Implement frequency hopping or spread spectrum techniques.
• B. Switch to wired networks only.
• C. Increase transmit power.
• D. Use stronger encryption.

Answer: (A)

When wireless availability is at stake, spreading the signal across a wider portion of the spectrum or hopping between frequencies makes jamming far harder to sustain. Techniques like frequency hopping and direct-sequence spread spectrum spread the transmitted energy, so a jammer cannot effectively saturate the entire channel with a single, targeted interference signal. If the jammer focuses on one frequency, the signal can quickly hop away or the spread spectrum signal remains recoverable, allowing the receiver to filter out much of the noise and maintain communication.

This approach relies on synchronized use of the spreading pattern between transmitter and receiver, and it benefits from resilience proportional to the spread factor. In contrast, switching to wired networks eliminates wireless use (not always feasible in practice), simply increasing transmit power can worsen interference or violate regulations, and stronger encryption does not address availability—only confidentiality and integrity.

So, implementing frequency hopping or spread spectrum techniques provides the strongest defense against wireless jamming by reducing the impact of interference on the usable portion of the spectrum.