Network Security & Protocols Flashcards

Which protocol provides encrypted communication between a web browser and a server?

Answer: TLS

TLS (Transport Layer Security) encrypts data in transit between clients and servers, replacing the older SSL protocol.

What is the default port number used by HTTPS?

Answer: 443

HTTPS uses TCP port 443 by default, while plain HTTP uses port 80.

What is the primary purpose of a digital certificate issued by a Certificate Authority (CA)?

Answer: To verify the identity of a website or entity

Digital certificates bind a public key to an identity, allowing users to verify they are communicating with the legitimate server.

Which type of encryption uses two mathematically related keys — one public and one private?

Answer: Asymmetric encryption

Asymmetric encryption (e.g., RSA) uses a key pair where data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted by the other.

In a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack, what does the attacker primarily do?

Answer: Intercepts and potentially alters communication between two parties

A MitM attacker secretly relays and possibly modifies traffic between two parties who believe they are communicating directly.

What does PKI stand for in the context of network security?

Answer: Public Key Infrastructure

PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) is the framework of policies, hardware, software, and procedures needed to manage digital certificates and public-key encryption.

Which older protocol did TLS replace because of well-known security vulnerabilities?

Answer: SSL

TLS was developed as a more secure successor to SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which had critical vulnerabilities like POODLE and BEAST.