Cryptography GSEC Practice Questions (Page 1)

Questions 1–5

1. 1application · medium

   A network administrator needs to secure communications between two branch offices over the public internet. The requirement is to encrypt all IP traffic between the two sites, including non-TCP protocols. Which protocol should be used?

   • AIPsec
   • BHTTPS
   • CSSH
   • DTLS
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 2application · medium

   A user connects to a banking website and notices the browser shows a certificate warning. The user proceeds anyway. Which attack is the user most likely to fall victim to?

   • ASide-channel attack on the user's CPU
   • BMan-in-the-middle attack
   • CBrute-force attack on the user's password
   • DHash collision attack
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 3application · medium

   A developer is designing a system where a mobile app sends sensor data to a cloud server. The data is not highly sensitive, but the developer wants to prevent casual eavesdropping. The app and server already share a secret key that was provisioned during device enrollment. What is the most efficient way to encrypt the data in transit?

   • AUse a hash of the shared key to create a one-time pad for each message.
   • BUse AES with the shared key to encrypt each message and send the ciphertext over the network.
   • CUse RSA to encrypt each message with the server's public key.
   • DUse TLS with the server's certificate and rely on the shared key for mutual authentication.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 4application · medium

   A software update server sends patches to thousands of clients. The clients need to verify that the patch is authentic and has not been tampered with, but they do not have a shared secret. What should the server do?

   • ASend the patch over TLS without a signature
   • BSign the patch with the server's private key and distribute the public key to clients
   • CPublish a hash of the patch on a public forum
   • DEncrypt the patch with the server's public key
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 5application · medium

   A software vendor distributes a signed update file over HTTPS. A user downloads the file and wants to verify that it genuinely came from the vendor and was not tampered with in transit. What should the user do?

   • ARe-download the file from a mirror site and compare the file hashes.
   • BVerify the file's hash against the hash shown on the vendor's website.
   • CUse the vendor's public key to verify the digital signature attached to the update file.
   • DCheck the HTTPS certificate in the browser and compare the certificate's public key with the vendor's published public key.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first