CEH Practice Question: Advanced Topics: Wireless, Cloud, IoT, Cryptography
Which TWO of the following are symmetric encryption algorithms?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently 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.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
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.
- ✗
ECC
Why it's wrong here
Elliptic Curve Cryptography is asymmetric.
- ✓
3DES
Why this is correct
Triple DES is symmetric.
Quick reference
Symmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Size | Block Size | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AES-128 | 128-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | NIST approved; WPA3, TLS |
| AES-256 | 256-bit | 128-bit | Current standard | Preferred for sensitive / govt data |
| 3DES | 112-bit effective | 64-bit | Deprecated (2023) | Replaced by AES |
| DES | 56-bit | 64-bit | Broken | Cracked in < 24 h; never deploy |
| ChaCha20 | 256-bit | Stream cipher | Current | TLS 1.3, WireGuard |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.