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

Which TWO of the following are symmetric encryption algorithms? (Select TWO.)

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

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AES

AES and 3DES are both symmetric block ciphers. RSA and ECC are asymmetric algorithms, and SHA-256 is a hash function.

Answer analysis

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

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ECC
Why it's wrong here
ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) is asymmetric.
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AES
Why this is correct
AES is a symmetric block cipher.
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RSA
Why it's wrong here
RSA is an asymmetric algorithm.
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3DES
Why this is correct
3DES is a symmetric block cipher based on DES.
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SHA-256
Why it's wrong here
SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function, not an encryption algorithm.

Quick reference

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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