Western Governors University (WGU) ITAS 2142 D830 Introduction to Cryptography Practice Exam

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• Which key verifies a digital signature?
• Which term describes encryption of data during processing by an application?
• What is a nonce in cryptography?
• The primary purpose of using HMAC is:
• Which term is defined as the algorithm used for encryption and decryption?
• Which cryptographic primitive is a one-way function that produces a fixed-length output?
• Which is the U.S. standard for cryptographic modules?
• Which statement correctly differentiates a digital signature from a hash?
• Which Wi‑Fi security protocol is commonly associated with AES for encryption?
• What is the typical length of the output for SHA-256?
• In public-key cryptography, which key verifies a signature?
• Which term is described as the process of converting plaintext into ciphertext?
• Which cryptographic method provides authenticity and non-repudiation using a public-key approach?
• Which term refers to the original readable data before any encryption?
• Which entity vouches for the binding between a public key and a subject's identity?
• What is OCSP primarily used for?
• Which defines asymmetric encryption?
• Which principle prevents a sender from denying an action?
• What term refers to the original readable data before any encryption is applied?
• Which property is described by the term preimage resistance?
• What is the purpose of an initialization vector (IV)?
• What is a cryptosystem?
• Which statement best reflects the security goal of TLS 1.3?
• Which statement best describes the function of SAE in WPA3-Personal?
• Why avoid ECB?
• Which key exchange mechanism in TLS 1.3 provides forward secrecy by generating ephemeral session keys?
• Which concept allows data to be encrypted with a public key, ensuring only the holder of the corresponding private key can decrypt?
• Under GDPR Article 32 encryption and pseudonymisation are examples of what?
• Which mode is vulnerable because it does not chain blocks and thus can reveal patterns in plaintext across blocks?
• What is blockchain?
• What is defense in depth?
• What are hash functions used for?
• Why is 3DES stronger than DES?
• What term describes encrypted, unreadable data?
• What attack involves capturing valid data and reusing it to fool a system?
• Which term is described as the process of converting ciphertext back into plaintext?
• What protocol provides integrity in IPsec?
• What is the process of establishing a shared secret between parties over an insecure channel called?
• What is the term for an attack that tries every possible key?
• Which statement defines Availability?
• Why is post-quantum cryptography treated as a migration priority?
• Which protocol is a secure protocol for remote login and command execution?
• Which mode uses a counter to generate a keystream?
• Which term best describes the framework for managing public keys and digital certificates?
• CRYSTALS-Dilithium is primarily used for which purpose?
• Which term refers to the blocks in a blockchain containing cryptographic proof of work?
• What block size is defined for AES in FIPS 197?
• Which statement is true about AES?
• Which term refers to the lifecycle management of cryptographic keys, including generation, storage, rotation, and retirement?
• What is least privilege?
• What does HMAC add compared with using a hash function alone?
• Which algorithm is a block cipher with 128-bit blocks widely used today?
• Which statement best describes data in transit encryption?
• Which description best fits steganography?
• Which cipher rearranges characters without using substitution?
• Which block cipher mode chains blocks together using XOR and an IV?
• Which principle states that a cryptosystem should be secure even if the algorithm is public, and only the key must remain secret?
• Why use symmetric encryption for bulk data?
• What key is used to sign a message?
• A company wants a signer cannot credibly deny signing a contract. Which mechanism best supports this?
• A replay attack is defined as which of the following?
• RC4 is insecure primarily due to vulnerabilities in which aspect?
• Which attack name is most associated with exploiting the probability of hash collisions as items are hashed?
• Why is lightweight cryptography designed for modern systems?
• In IPsec, which mode encrypts the entire IP packet including the header?
• What was the purpose of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) selection of Ascon for lightweight cryptography?
• Which process ensures data integrity verification?
• Does applying encryption multiple times always increase security?
• Which standard defines the hash function families including SHA-256 and SHA-512?
• In a stream cipher, what is the keystream?
• What is ciphertext in a cryptographic system?
• Which of the following is a hash-based digital signature scheme included in the post-quantum candidate list?
• Which attack involves the attacker choosing plaintexts to be encrypted and observing the resulting ciphertexts?
• In IPsec which mode encapsulates the entire original IP packet inside a new packet?
• Which statement best explains why ECB can be unsafe for many real datasets?
• Who issues certificates?
• Which cryptographic concept uses the same key for encryption and decryption?
• What are extra bits added to fill a block when plaintext is too short?
• What is the practice of breaking cryptographic systems?
• Which entity issues digital certificates?
• Which attack specifically exploits reuse of password-derived credentials to gain access?
• Which cipher's weak implementation contributed to WEP insecurity?
• Which of the following best defines a hash function?
• Which mode leaks plaintext patterns?
• What is the purpose of a verifier trust store in certificate validation?
• Which term describes the set that contains Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability?
• What is the main purpose of triple-DES (3DES)?
• Key rotation is the practice of which action?
• Data at rest encryption focuses on protecting data when it is which?
• In a PKI what entity issues and signs public key certificates?
• Which protocol provides encryption, authentication, and integrity for secure communications over a network?
• WPA3-Personal replaces WPA2-PSK with which mechanism?
• What attack reuses password hashes to authenticate?
• Which statement about SHA-1 is commonly accepted?
• Which attack exploits hash collision probability, often associated with hash functions?
• Why is WEP insecure?
• What protocol encrypts IPsec traffic?
• Which statement defines Non-repudiation?
• Which option best describes Kerckhoffs's principle?
• What is encryption?
• Which concept is most closely associated with the security of hash functions as the number of hashed items grows?
• Which property spreads plaintext influence across ciphertext?
• RC4's vulnerabilities arise from biases in which part of the algorithm?
• Which statement best describes data in use encryption?
• Which cipher uses multiple substitution alphabets?
• What term describes a keyed hash used for integrity and authentication?
• In certificate path validation, what is a trust anchor?
• What term means encrypted, unreadable data?
• Which statement defines Confidentiality?
• A side-channel attack exploits which kind of weakness?
• What happens if a keystream is reused?
• How are digital signatures used in cryptographic protocols?
• Caesar Cipher is an example of which category?
• Which cipher rearranges plaintext characters without replacing them?
• What is the primary benefit of using cryptography in IoT and devices with limited resources as per lightweight cryptography aims?
• What is a common reason for deprecating SHA-1?
• Which wireless standard is insecure?
• Which concept requires continuous verification of identity and device health for access control?
• Which method uses AES for securing Wi‑Fi networks?
• Which of the following is an example of asymmetric encryption?
• Which of the following is a digital signature scheme based on lattice problems?
• In ECB mode, how does a single bit error in the ciphertext affect the decrypted plaintext?
• Which algorithm is primarily used to establish a shared secret over an untrusted network rather than directly encrypting large messages?
• Which is a type of homomorphic encryption?
• What does tunnel mode do?
• Which technique replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive tokens?
• What provides forward secrecy?
• In CBC mode what requirement for the IV is emphasized by guidance?
• In a blockchain, what ensures data integrity by linking successive blocks?
• Which property hides the relationship between the key and ciphertext?
• What is nonrepudiation?
• In a blockchain, what ensures tamper detection across the chain?
• What is a secret value used to encrypt or decrypt data?
• Which protocol secures web traffic?
• What term describes an individual or group that carries out attacks?
• Which item lists certificates that are no longer trusted?
• Which cryptographic method provides integrity and authenticity using a public-private key pair and a digital signature?
• Which item is used to verify the current validity of a certificate in real time without downloading a CRL?
• CRYSTALS-Kyber is primarily used as which cryptographic primitive?
• Which system is used for managing public keys and digital certificates?
• In the case of a company that successfully aligned its cryptographic practices, what was likely a contributing factor?
• What type of function is easy to compute but hard to reverse?
• Which statement about rainbow tables is true?
• Which mode generates a keystream independent of plaintext and ciphertext?
• What is OCSP?
• Which protocol represents a secure version of HTTP using SSL/TLS?
• Which key size is NOT specified as an AES option in FIPS 197?
• SPHINCS+ is primarily which type of primitive?
• Which statement best describes the difference between lattice-based cryptography and factorization-based public-key cryptography?
• Which protocol provides the next level of Wi‑Fi security by introducing enhancements over WPA2?
• A cipher that replaces plaintext symbols with other symbols.
• What is a CRL?
• Which statement best describes AEAD modes like GCM?
• What value is used only once to prevent replay attacks?
• What is a MITM attack?
• What is a modern symmetric block cipher using 128-bit blocks?
• In IPsec which protocol provides confidentiality through encryption?
• Steganography involves which technique?
• What is the primary purpose of salting passwords before hashing?
• Which statement best describes the relationship between hashing and password verification?
• In ISO/IEC 27001, what must organizations define regarding cryptography?
• Which statement defines Integrity?
• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is associated with symmetric encryption?
• Which organization selected Ascon as a candidate for lightweight cryptography?
• What does transport mode do?
• How is cryptography utilized in cryptocurrencies?
• Which statement defines Authorization?
• Which technology threatens widely used public-key systems such as RSA and ECC?
• Which concept allows performing computations on ciphertexts that translate to the same computations on the plaintext?
• Which cryptographic service lets a receiver detect whether data was modified after it was sent?
• Which technique involves replacing sensitive data with non-sensitive tokens?
• In IPsec, which mode encrypts only the payload?
• Why do organizations rotate cryptographic keys?
• Which term describes the practice of securing communications by transforming plain data into ciphertext?
• What is scrypt?
• Which statement about symmetric and asymmetric encryption is true?
• Which legacy symmetric block cipher uses 56-bit keys?
• What is the term for a key that is shared publicly and used to encrypt data?
• The replacement of sensitive data with meaningless tokens is called?
• Exploiting physical implementation weaknesses is characteristic of which attack?
• Which defines symmetric encryption?
• CIA Triad stands for which trio of security concepts?
• Which entity verifies identities before certificates are issued?
• What defines a stream cipher?
• Which mode uses feedback by XORing the previous ciphertext with the plaintext to turn a block cipher into a stream cipher?
• Which block cipher mode encrypts each block independently (insecure)?
• Which principle ensures data is not altered without authorization?
• HMAC is best described as:
• Which attack does salting primarily defend against?
• What term describes a one-way function that can be reversed with secret information?
• Two inputs producing the same hash is an example of which type of attack?
• What is zero trust?
• Which protocol secures web communications by layering HTTP over SSL/TLS?
• Data at rest encryption is primarily concerned with protecting data while it is
• Key management primarily concerns which concept?
• The practice of hiding data within other data is known as?
• Per NIST key management guidance what does key management include?
• Which protection suite is commonly associated with WPA2 data confidentiality and integrity at the link layer?
• Which of the following is a reason to monitor cryptographic controls continuously?
• Which statement defines forward secrecy?
• In a proof-of-work blockchain, what is the purpose of a nonce?
• Which statement best characterizes stream ciphers in a cryptographic system?
• In a PKI, which entity handles identity validation and certificate enrollment before a certificate is issued?
• What distinguishes cipher block chaining (CBC) mode in a cryptographic system?
• Which mode provides both confidentiality and integrity guarantees?
• Which principle states that security should rely on the secrecy of the key rather than the secrecy of the algorithm?
• Which PKI model consists of a root CA and intermediate CAs?
• Which statement about the private key in public-key cryptography is true?
• Which legacy cipher uses a 56-bit key and is insecure for modern use?
• Which construct is a Message Authentication Code used to verify data integrity and authenticity with a secret key?
• Attacker has access to both the plaintext and its corresponding ciphertext. This describes which attack?
• In cryptography, which term denotes the secret value used to encrypt or decrypt data?
• What does a digital signature provide?
• Which set of algorithms corresponds to the first finalized NIST post-quantum cryptography standards?
• Which algorithm is a symmetric cipher?
• A downgrade attack is best described as which action?
• Which value is specialized to be unique per encryption session and helps prevent replay and pattern analysis?
• Which term describes the principle of keeping data inaccessible to unauthorized users?
• Which protocol is designed for securing IP communications across networks at the network layer?
• Modular arithmetic is defined as performing calculations within a finite set of numbers.
• Which type of encryption uses a public key and a private key?
• Which storage approach best matches NIST digital identity guidance for passwords?
• Which legacy wireless protection mechanism is considered inherently flawed by standards bodies?
• CRYSTALS-Kyber is primarily which type of primitive?
• Which is a list of certificates that are no longer trusted?
• Which statement defines Authentication?
• What role do large prime numbers play in cryptographic algorithms?
• What is the primary motivation for adopting post-quantum cryptography?
• Digital signatures primarily provide non-repudiation and authenticity.
• Which encryption method is associated with asymmetric encryption?
• Which term describes the study of cryptography and cryptanalysis together?
• Which statement best describes certificate path validation?
• What does forward secrecy mean in a modern TLS context?
• Establishing a shared secret is best described as which cryptographic concept?
• Which cipher uses a random key equal in length to the message and used only once?
• Which principle ensures data is accessible when needed?
• Which block cipher mode is designed for authenticated encryption with associated data?
• Which mechanism allows revoking a certificate before its expiry?
• Which entity issues digital certificates as a trusted authority?
• What is an attack vector?
• Which option is not typically cited as a technical or organizational measure under GDPR Article 32?
• What is Diffie-Hellman used for?
• What security strategy uses multiple layers of controls to protect information?
• What property does Diffie-Hellman provide?
• Which property ensures data has not been altered without authorization?
• What term describes a system for managing public keys and digital certificates?
• Which mode turns a block cipher into a stream cipher?
• In IPsec, which protocol provides data integrity and authentication without encryption?
• Which algorithm is considered outdated?
• Which cipher uses alphabetic substitution with multiple alphabets?
• What is the block size used by AES?
• Why is MD5 considered insecure?
• A one-way function that can be reversed using secret information is called what?
• Which term describes adding bits to plaintext to fit block size in block cipher operations?
• Which key is used to decrypt data or create digital signatures?
• Which protocol is a network-layer security protocol used for VPNs?
• Which standard defines requirements for cryptographic modules used by federal agencies?
• Which of the following is a valid AES key size?
• What value is used to ensure unique ciphertexts by varying per encryption?
• What is the practice of creating secure communication systems?
• Which protocol secures web traffic?
• Which statement correctly describes a hash function?
• Which attack uses the birthday paradox to maximize hash collisions?
• Which statement best describes the basis of the NIST lightweight cryptography standard?
• Which statement best describes lattice-based cryptography in modern encryption techniques?
• What is the algorithm used for encryption and decryption?
• A team must encrypt multi-gigabyte backups nightly with minimal CPU overhead. Which approach best fits?