Question 1

The principal attraction of __________ compared to RSA is that it appears to offer equal security for a far smaller bit size, thereby reducing processing overhead.
A) ECC
B) MD5
C) Diffie-Hellman
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) is known for its ability to provide equivalent security to RSA but with a much smaller key size, making it faster and more efficient. This is due to the use of elliptic curves in mathematical computations, which offer a more efficient approach to encryption compared to RSA's use of prime factorization. MD5 and Diffie-Hellman, on the other hand, are not encryption algorithms, but rather cryptographic hash functions and key exchange protocols, respectively.

Question 2

_________ attacks have several approaches, all equivalent in effort to factoring the product of two primes.
A) Mathematical
B) Brute-force
C) Chosen ciphertext
D) Timing

Accepted Answer

Mathematical attacks are the best choice for breaking RSA encryption as they are more efficient than brute-force and other attacks. Factoring the product of two large prime numbers is the mathematical approach that is equivalent to breaking RSA encryption. Therefore, the best approach is to find efficient algorithms for factoring large numbers.

Question 3

NIST has published FIPS PUB 186, which is known as the ___________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of NIST has published FIPS PUB 186, which...

Question 4

The purpose of the __________ algorithm is to enable two users to exchange a secret key securely that can then be used for subsequent encryption of messages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The purpose of the __________ algorithm is...

Question 5

The _________ attack exploits the common use of a modular exponentiation algorithm in RSA encryption and decryption, but can be adapted to work with any implementation that does not run in fixed time.
A) mathematical
B) timing
C) chosen ciphertext
D) brute-force

Accepted Answer

The given attack is a timing attack, which exploits the implementation vulnerabilities in RSA encryption and decryption. Hence, option B is the correct answer. Option A is not a suitable choice because mathematical attacks generally refer to attacks that exploit mathematical weaknesses in the encryption algorithm. Option C is incorrect because the attack does not involve choosing the ciphertext, but rather manipulating the timing. Option D is incorrect because a brute-force attack involves trying all possible combinations of keys or passwords, which is not relevant to this given attack.

Question 6

The __________ uses an algorithm that is designed to provide only the digital signature function and cannot be used for encryption or key exchange.
A) ECC
B) RSA
C) DSS
D) XOR

Accepted Answer

DSS (Digital Signature Standard) is a digital signature algorithm that is designed to provide only the digital signature function and cannot be used for encryption or key exchange. It is widely used in government and other regulated industries for its compliance with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) and RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) are both public-key cryptography algorithms that can be used for encryption, decryption, digital signature, and key exchange. XOR is a bitwise logical operator, not a cryptographic algorithm.

Question 7

The DSS makes use of the _________ and presents a new digital signature technique, the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA).
A) HMAC
B) XOR
C) RSA
D) SHA-1

Accepted Answer

The Digital Signature Standard (DSS) utilizes the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-1) as part of its process to generate and verify signatures. SHA-1 is used for creating a digest of the message that is then signed using the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA), ensuring the integrity and authenticity of the message.

Question 8

___________ was the first published public-key algorithm.
A) NIST
B) Diffie-Hellman
C) RC4
D) RSA

Accepted Answer

Diffie-Hellman was the first published public-key algorithm, introduced in 1976 by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman. This groundbreaking work laid the foundation for the field of public-key cryptography.

Question 9

Versions of SHA, with hash value lengths of 256, 384, and 512 bits, (SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA 512) are collectively known as _________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Versions of SHA, with hash value lengths...

Question 10

__________ are alarming for two reasons: they come from a completely unexpected direction and they are a ciphertext-only attack.

Accepted Answer

The answer of __________ are alarming for two reasons: they...

Question 11

Four possible approaches to attacking the RSA algorithm are: brute force, timing attacks, _________ attacks, and chosen ciphertext attacks.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Four possible approaches to attacking the RSA...

Question 12

The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) was developed by the _________ and published as a federal information processing standard (FIPS 180) in 1993.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) was developed...

Question 13

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published Federal Information Processing Standard FIPS PUB 186, known as the __________.
A) XOR
B) MD5
C) MAC
D) DSS

Accepted Answer

FIPS PUB 186 includes the Digital Signature Standard (DSS), which is used to verify the authenticity of digital documents and data. The other options, XOR, MD5 and MAC, are all cryptographic techniques, but are not specific standards included in FIPS PUB 186.

Question 14

______ has been issued as RFC 2014, has been chosen as the mandatory-to-implement MAC for IP Security, and is used in other Internet protocols, such as Transport Layer Security.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ______ has been issued as RFC 2014,...

Question 15

One of the first public-key schemes, _______, was developed in 1977 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Len Adleman.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the first public-key schemes, _______,...

Question 16

Although the _________ attack is a serious threat, there are simple countermeasures that can be used such as constant time calcs, random delays or blinding computations.
A) timing
B) chosen ciphertext
C) mathematical
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The timing attack is the only type of attack mentioned in the question, and the countermeasures suggested (constant time calcs, random delays or blinding computations) are all effective against timing attacks. Therefore, the best choice is A, timing.

Question 17

A __________ type of attack exploits properties of the RSA algorithm.
A) timing
B) brute-force
C) chosen ciphertext
D) mathematical

Accepted Answer

A chosen ciphertext attack exploits properties of the RSA algorithm.

Question 18

One of the simplest hash functions is the ________ of every block.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the simplest hash functions is...

Question 19

The evaluation criteria for the new hash function are: security, _______, and algorithm and implementation characteristics.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The evaluation criteria for the new hash...

Question 20

_________ are analogous to a burglar guessing a safe combination by observing how long it takes to turn the dial from number to number.
A) Digital standards
B) Mathematical attacks
C) Ciphers
D) Timing attacks

Accepted Answer

Timing attacks involve observing how long it takes for a cryptographic system to perform certain operations, such as encryption or decryption. By analyzing these time differences, an attacker can make educated guesses about the secret keys or other sensitive information used in the system. This is similar to a burglar making guesses about a safe combination based on how long it takes to turn the dial.

Quiz 21: Public-Key Cryptography and Message Authentication

The principal attraction of __________ compared to RSA is that it appears to offer equal security for a far smaller bit size, thereby reducing processing overhead.

_________ attacks have several approaches, all equivalent in effort to factoring the product of two primes.

NIST has published FIPS PUB 186, which is known as the ___________.

The purpose of the __________ algorithm is to enable two users to exchange a secret key securely that can then be used for subsequent encryption of messages.

The _________ attack exploits the common use of a modular exponentiation algorithm in RSA encryption and decryption, but can be adapted to work with any implementation that does not run in fixed time.

The __________ uses an algorithm that is designed to provide only the digital signature function and cannot be used for encryption or key exchange.

The DSS makes use of the _________ and presents a new digital signature technique, the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) .

___________ was the first published public-key algorithm.

Versions of SHA, with hash value lengths of 256, 384, and 512 bits, (SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA 512) are collectively known as _________.

__________ are alarming for two reasons: they come from a completely unexpected direction and they are a ciphertext-only attack.

Four possible approaches to attacking the RSA algorithm are: brute force, timing attacks, _________ attacks, and chosen ciphertext attacks.

The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) was developed by the _________ and published as a federal information processing standard (FIPS 180) in 1993.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published Federal Information Processing Standard FIPS PUB 186, known as the __________.

______ has been issued as RFC 2014, has been chosen as the mandatory-to-implement MAC for IP Security, and is used in other Internet protocols, such as Transport Layer Security.

One of the first public-key schemes, _______, was developed in 1977 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Len Adleman.

Although the _________ attack is a serious threat, there are simple countermeasures that can be used such as constant time calcs, random delays or blinding computations.

A __________ type of attack exploits properties of the RSA algorithm.

One of the simplest hash functions is the ________ of every block.

The evaluation criteria for the new hash function are: security, _______, and algorithm and implementation characteristics.

_________ are analogous to a burglar guessing a safe combination by observing how long it takes to turn the dial from number to number.