Cryptography Flashcards

What is the primary goal of cryptography in information security?

Answer: To protect confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data

Cryptography is fundamentally used to secure communication and data storage by protecting confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data. It achieves this by preventing unauthorized disclosure, modification, and ensuring the verifiable origin and genuineness of information.

Which type of cryptography uses the same key for encryption and decryption?

Answer: Symmetric cryptography

Symmetric cryptography, also known as secret-key cryptography, uses a single, shared secret key for both encrypting and decrypting data. Both the sender and receiver must possess this identical key, making secure key distribution a critical challenge.

What is the purpose of a digital signature?

Answer: To verify the authenticity and integrity of a message

A digital signature uses cryptographic techniques to provide assurance about the origin and integrity of a digital message or document. It verifies that the message has not been altered since it was signed and confirms the identity of the signer, ensuring non-repudiation.

Which cryptographic algorithm is considered asymmetric?

Answer: RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)

RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is a widely used public-key (asymmetric) cryptographic algorithm, meaning it uses a pair of mathematically linked keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. This allows secure communication without prior sharing of a secret key.

What is the primary function of a hash algorithm in cryptography?

Answer: To create a unique fixed-length representation of data

A hash algorithm takes an input (or 'message') and returns a fixed-size alphanumeric string, known as a hash value or message digest. This unique representation is used to verify data integrity, as even a small change in the input data will produce a completely different hash value.