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SSCP Cryptography Practice Question

A company is migrating from 3DES to a modern encryption algorithm. Which of the following are acceptable choices? (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

✓

ChaCha20

AES and ChaCha20 are modern symmetric ciphers considered secure. RC4 is broken, Blowfish is older (64-bit block), and DES is obsolete.

Answer analysis

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

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DES
Why it's wrong here
DES is obsolete due to small key size.
✓
ChaCha20
Why this is correct
ChaCha20 is a modern stream cipher, considered secure and efficient.
✓
AES
Why this is correct
AES is a widely used, secure block cipher.
✗
RC4
Why it's wrong here
RC4 is broken and should not be used.
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Blowfish
Why it's wrong here
Blowfish has a 64-bit block size and is outdated; use its successor Twofish or AES.

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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