CEH Practice Question: Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  RC4

  Why it's wrong here

  RC4 is classified as a symmetric stream cipher, meaning it encrypts data bit by bit or byte by byte using a single, shared secret key for both encryption and decryption. This fundamental characteristic places it squarely within symmetric cryptography, which requires all communicating parties to possess the identical key, making it unsuitable for scenarios demanding distinct public and private keys.

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  3DES

  Why it's wrong here

  Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) is a symmetric block cipher that applies the DES algorithm three times to each data block, typically using two or three distinct keys. Despite its iterative application and multiple keys, 3DES remains a symmetric algorithm because the same set of keys used for encryption must also be used for decryption, failing to meet the criteria for asymmetric key pairs.

• ✗

  AES

  Why it's wrong here

  The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a prevalent symmetric block cipher, processing data in fixed-size blocks (128 bits) using a single, secret key for both encryption and decryption. Its security relies entirely on the secrecy of this shared key, which is a hallmark of symmetric cryptography, thereby classifying it distinctly apart from asymmetric algorithms that employ separate public and private keys.

• ✓

  RSA

  Why this is correct

  RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) is a foundational asymmetric cryptographic algorithm, distinguished by its use of a mathematically linked pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. This unique public/private key architecture allows anyone to encrypt data using the public key, but only the holder of the corresponding private key can decrypt it, correctly classifying it as an asymmetric scheme.

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