This CEH practice question tests your understanding of advanced topics: wireless, cloud, iot, cryptography. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which TWO of the following are symmetric encryption algorithms?
Diffie-Hellman
Why wrong: Diffie-Hellman is a key exchange protocol, not a symmetric cipher.
RSA
Why wrong: RSA is asymmetric.
AES
Advanced Encryption Standard is symmetric.
ECC
Why wrong: Elliptic Curve Cryptography is asymmetric.
3DES
Triple DES is symmetric.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AES
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetric encryption algorithm that uses the same key for both encryption and decryption. It is widely adopted for securing sensitive data and is a block cipher with key sizes of 128, 192, or 256 bits.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Diffie-Hellman
Why it's wrong here
Diffie-Hellman is a key exchange protocol, not a symmetric cipher.
RSA
Why it's wrong here
RSA is asymmetric.
AES
Why this is correct
Advanced Encryption Standard is symmetric.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ECC
Why it's wrong here
Elliptic Curve Cryptography is asymmetric.
3DES
Why this is correct
Triple DES is symmetric.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse key exchange protocols (like Diffie-Hellman) and asymmetric algorithms (like RSA and ECC) with symmetric encryption, because all are used in cryptography but serve fundamentally different roles in securing communications.
Detailed technical explanation
Symmetric encryption algorithms like AES and 3DES rely on a single shared secret key that must be securely distributed between parties. AES operates on 128-bit blocks and supports multiple modes (e.g., CBC, GCM) for different security requirements, while 3DES applies the DES algorithm three times per block to increase security, though it is now considered deprecated due to its slower speed and lower security margin compared to AES.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CEH exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography — This question tests Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AES — AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetric encryption algorithm that uses the same key for both encryption and decryption. It is widely adopted for securing sensitive data and is a block cipher with key sizes of 128, 192, or 256 bits.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CEH exam.
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