SSCP Cryptography & PKI 3

Question 1

Which cryptographic hash function is considered NIST-approved and produces a 256-bit digest?

Accepted Answer

SHA-256

Answer

SHA-256 is part of the NIST-approved SHA-2 family and produces a 256-bit hash output.

Question 2

What is the Diffie-Hellman key exchange primarily used for?

Accepted Answer

Establishing a shared secret over an insecure channel

Answer

Diffie-Hellman allows two parties to derive a shared secret over a public channel without ever transmitting the secret itself.

Question 3

A certificate with the 'KeyUsage' extension set to 'keyCertSign' can perform which function?

Accepted Answer

Sign other certificates

Answer

The keyCertSign KeyUsage bit authorizes a certificate's public key for verifying signatures on subordinate certificates.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes a rainbow table attack?

Accepted Answer

Using precomputed hash chains to reverse password hashes

Answer

A rainbow table attack uses precomputed chains of hash values to efficiently look up the plaintext corresponding to a given hash.

Question 5

What is the purpose of adding a 'salt' to a password before hashing?

Accepted Answer

To make two identical passwords produce different hashes

Answer

A salt is a random value added to each password before hashing, ensuring identical passwords produce unique hashes and defeating precomputed attacks.

(SSCP) Systems Security Certified Practitioner Exam Practice Test