ISA Cryptography & Encryption Standards

Question 1

Which encryption algorithm is currently recommended by NIST for protecting sensitive government data?

Accepted Answer

AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard)

Answer

DES (Data Encryption Standard)

Answer

RC4 stream cipher

Answer

Blowfish algorithm

Question 2

What is the primary difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

Accepted Answer

Symmetric uses one shared key while asymmetric uses a public-private key pair

Answer

Symmetric is always stronger than asymmetric encryption

Answer

Asymmetric encryption is faster than symmetric encryption

Answer

There is no practical difference between the two approaches

Question 3

What is the purpose of a digital certificate in ISA practice?

Accepted Answer

To verify the identity of a party and bind their public key to their identity

Answer

To encrypt all network traffic automatically

Answer

To replace the need for firewalls

Answer

To store user passwords securely

Question 4

Which hashing algorithm is considered secure for current ISA implementations?

Accepted Answer

SHA-256 or SHA-3

Answer

MD5

Answer

SHA-1

Answer

CRC32

Question 5

What is perfect forward secrecy (PFS) in the context of ISA?

Accepted Answer

A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not compromise past session keys

Answer

A guarantee that no encryption can ever be broken

Answer

A backup system for lost encryption keys

Answer

A method of storing encryption keys permanently

Question 6

What is the role of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in information security?

Accepted Answer

To manage digital certificates and public-key encryption throughout an organization

Answer

To replace all passwords with biometric authentication

Answer

To physically secure server rooms and data centers

Answer

To monitor network traffic for intrusion attempts