ISA Cryptography & Encryption Standards — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which encryption algorithm is currently recommended by NIST for protecting sensitive government data?
- AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard) (Correct answer)
- DES (Data Encryption Standard)
- RC4 stream cipher
- Blowfish algorithm
Correct answer: AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard)
AES-256 is the NIST-approved standard for encrypting sensitive and classified data, providing robust protection against brute-force attacks.
Question 2: What is the primary difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?
- Symmetric uses one shared key while asymmetric uses a public-private key pair (Correct answer)
- Symmetric is always stronger than asymmetric encryption
- Asymmetric encryption is faster than symmetric encryption
- There is no practical difference between the two approaches
Correct answer: Symmetric uses one shared key while asymmetric uses a public-private key pair
Symmetric encryption uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption, while asymmetric encryption uses mathematically related public and private key pairs.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a digital certificate in ISA practice?
- To verify the identity of a party and bind their public key to their identity (Correct answer)
- To encrypt all network traffic automatically
- To replace the need for firewalls
- To store user passwords securely
Correct answer: To verify the identity of a party and bind their public key to their identity
Digital certificates, issued by Certificate Authorities, verify the identity of entities and cryptographically bind their public keys to their verified identity.
Question 4: Which hashing algorithm is considered secure for current ISA implementations?
- SHA-256 or SHA-3 (Correct answer)
- MD5
- SHA-1
- CRC32
Correct answer: SHA-256 or SHA-3
SHA-256 and SHA-3 are considered cryptographically secure hashing algorithms, while MD5 and SHA-1 have known vulnerabilities.
Question 5: What is perfect forward secrecy (PFS) in the context of ISA?
- A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not compromise past session keys (Correct answer)
- A guarantee that no encryption can ever be broken
- A backup system for lost encryption keys
- A method of storing encryption keys permanently
Correct answer: A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not compromise past session keys
Perfect forward secrecy ensures that even if long-term private keys are compromised, previously recorded encrypted sessions cannot be decrypted.
Question 6: What is the role of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in information security?
- To manage digital certificates and public-key encryption throughout an organization (Correct answer)
- To replace all passwords with biometric authentication
- To physically secure server rooms and data centers
- To monitor network traffic for intrusion attempts
Correct answer: To manage digital certificates and public-key encryption throughout an organization
PKI provides the framework for managing digital certificates, public keys, and the trust relationships needed for secure electronic communications.
ISA Cryptography & Encryption Standards
Which encryption algorithm is currently recommended by NIST for protecting sensitive government data?