CSX CSX Cryptography and Data Protection

Question 1

What is the primary difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

Accepted Answer

Symmetric uses one shared key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair

Answer

Symmetric encryption uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption, while asymmetric uses a mathematically linked key pair.

Question 2

Which hashing algorithm is currently recommended by NIST for producing a 256-bit digest?

Accepted Answer

SHA-256

Answer

SHA-256, part of the SHA-2 family, is NIST-recommended and produces a 256-bit hash, unlike the deprecated MD5 and SHA-1.

Question 3

What is the purpose of a digital certificate in public key infrastructure (PKI)?

Accepted Answer

To bind a public key to an identity, verified by a Certificate Authority

Answer

A digital certificate issued by a CA associates a public key with an identity, enabling trust in encrypted communications.

Question 4

Which encryption standard is federally approved in the US for protecting classified and sensitive government data?

Accepted Answer

AES

Answer

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is NIST-approved and used by the US government for protecting classified information.

Question 5

What is a rainbow table attack and which control best mitigates it?

Accepted Answer

A precomputed hash lookup attack mitigated by password salting

Answer

Rainbow tables are precomputed hash databases; adding a unique salt to each password before hashing defeats this attack.

(CSX) Cybersecurity Nexus Certification Practice Test