Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, hashing, and PKI concepts tested on Security+.
39 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What is the key difference between symmetric and asymmetric cryptography?
- Symmetric uses one shared secret key; asymmetric uses a public key and private key pair.
- Which symmetric algorithm is the current US federal standard for encryption?
- AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)
- What key sizes does AES support?
- 128, 192, and 256 bits
- Is DES (Data Encryption Standard) considered secure today?
- No, it has a 56-bit key that is too small and can be broken by brute force.
- What does RSA stand for?
- Rivest, Shamir, Adleman
- What is RSA primarily used for?
- Encryption and digital signatures
- What is ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography)?
- An asymmetric cryptographic algorithm based on elliptic curve mathematics, offering the same security as RSA with smaller key sizes.
- What is a hash function's primary purpose?
- To convert input data of any size into a fixed-size string of bytes, typically used for integrity verification and digital signatures.
- What is wrong with MD5 for security purposes?
- It produces a 128-bit hash and collisions have been found, making it unsuitable for cryptographic use.
- What are the standard output sizes for SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512?
- SHA-1: 160 bits; SHA-256: 256 bits; SHA-512: 512 bits
- Is SHA-1 considered secure for digital signatures today?
- No, collision attacks have been demonstrated and it is deprecated for cryptographic uses.
- What is the purpose of a digital signature?
- To verify the authenticity and integrity of a message by proving it was created by the claimed sender.
- What is a certificate authority (CA)?
- A trusted entity that verifies identities and issues digital certificates, signing them with its own private key.
- What is an X.509 certificate?
- A standard format for digital certificates that contains a public key, identity information, and a CA's digital signature.
- What is a Certificate Revocation List (CRL)?
- A list published by a CA of certificates that have been revoked and should no longer be trusted.