Which statement accurately distinguishes symmetric from asymmetric encryption?

Symmetric encryption provides non-repudiation by default.

Asymmetric encryption requires a pre-shared secret key.

Symmetric encryption uses one shared key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair.

Symmetric encryption is slower than asymmetric encryption.

In a hierarchical trust model, how does a client establish trust in a certificate issued by an intermediate CA?

By verifying the certificate against a Certificate Revocation List (CRL)

By following the certificate chain to a trusted root CA

By checking the certificate's expiration date

By contacting the intermediate CA directly for verification

A security analyst discovers that an attacker intercepted a message between two users, modified it, and then forwarded it to the recipient. The recipient's system verified the digital signature and it was valid. What does this indicate?

The recipient's certificate is not trusted.

The digital signature only provides confidentiality, not integrity.

The attacker used a different hash algorithm than the sender.

The attacker must have obtained the sender's private key.

An organization is setting up a PKI to issue certificates to employees for email signing. They want to ensure that if an employee's private key is compromised, the certificate can be invalidated before its expiration. What should they implement?

A certificate revocation list (CRL) and a process to publish revocations.

A longer certificate validity period to reduce the need for revocation.

A key escrow system that stores all private keys.

A stronger hash algorithm for the certificate signature.

A user is about to enter credentials on a website. The browser shows a padlock icon, but the domain name is slightly misspelled (e.g., 'amaz0n.com'). What should the user do?

Clear the browser cache and try again.

Do not enter credentials and verify the correct domain.

Check the certificate details to see if it is issued by a trusted CA.

Enter credentials because the padlock indicates a secure connection.

GIAC Information Security Fundamentals

Domain 4Objective 1

Foundations of Cryptography and Digital Trust GISF Practice Questions (Page 2)

Part of the Cryptography and Identity domain, which makes up ~14% of our current practice bank. GIAC (SANS) does not publish an official question count, but from its 120-minute exam (~50–80 total, ~7–11 in this domain), expect 4–6 from this objective — we provide 45 practice questions to prepare you well beyond it. (estimate)

45questions here

9free pages

7concepts

Questions 6–10

6foundation · easy
Which statement accurately distinguishes symmetric from asymmetric encryption?
Select an answer first
7foundation · easy
In a hierarchical trust model, how does a client establish trust in a certificate issued by an intermediate CA?
Select an answer first
8application · medium
A security analyst discovers that an attacker intercepted a message between two users, modified it, and then forwarded it to the recipient. The recipient's system verified the digital signature and it was valid. What does this indicate?
Select an answer first
9application · medium
An organization is setting up a PKI to issue certificates to employees for email signing. They want to ensure that if an employee's private key is compromised, the certificate can be invalidated before its expiration. What should they implement?
Select an answer first
10application · medium
A user is about to enter credentials on a website. The browser shows a padlock icon, but the domain name is slightly misspelled (e.g., 'amaz0n.com'). What should the user do?
Select an answer first

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