5.2 - Apply Cryptography Concepts SSCP Practice Questions (Page 2)

Questions 6–10

1. 6application · medium

   A mobile device manufacturer wants to implement digital signatures for firmware updates on low-power IoT devices. They need a signature algorithm that provides strong security with minimal computational overhead and small key sizes. Which algorithm is most appropriate?

   • ASHA-256 with a 256-bit hash
   • BElliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) with a 256-bit key
   • CAES with a 128-bit key
   • DRSA with a 2048-bit key
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 7application · medium

   A company needs to encrypt files stored on a shared network drive. They want to use a single key for all employees to simplify management, but they are concerned about key compromise. Which approach best balances security and manageability?

   • AUse asymmetric encryption with each employee having their own public/private key pair.
   • BUse a key management system (KMS) to store and rotate the symmetric key, and provide access only to authorized users.
   • CUse a single symmetric key and distribute it to all employees via email.
   • DUse a different symmetric key for each file and store all keys in a text file on the same drive.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 8expert · hard

   A cryptanalyst is attempting to break a block cipher. They have access to a large number of plaintext-ciphertext pairs and are analyzing how differences in plaintext affect differences in ciphertext. Which cryptanalytic technique are they using?

   • ADifferential cryptanalysis
   • BBirthday attack
   • CFrequency analysis
   • DSide-channel attack
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 9application · medium

   A security analyst notices that an attacker is measuring the power consumption of a smart card during AES encryption operations. The measurements appear to correlate with the secret key. Which type of attack is the analyst observing?

   • AMan-in-the-middle attack
   • BFrequency analysis attack
   • CBrute-force attack
   • DSide-channel attack
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 10foundation · easy

   What is a side-channel attack?

   • AAn attack that exploits physical characteristics of the system, such as power consumption or timing
   • BAn attack that tries all possible keys
   • CAn attack that uses precomputed tables of hashes
   • DAn attack that intercepts network traffic
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first