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SSCP Practice Question: A security analyst reviews the TLS configuration…
A security analyst reviews the TLS configuration of a web server and notices that the cipher suite TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA is enabled. The analyst recommends disabling RSA key exchange and enabling ECDHE. Which security property does ECDHE provide that RSA key exchange lacks?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the general benefits of elliptic curve cryptography (smaller keys, speed) with the specific security property of Perfect Forward Secrecy, which is the unique advantage of ephemeral Diffie-Hellman over static RSA key exchange.
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
✓
ECDHE provides perfect forward secrecy.
ECDHE (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman Ephemeral) provides Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS), meaning that if the server's long-term private key is compromised, past session keys cannot be derived. RSA key exchange does not provide PFS because the session key is encrypted with the server's static RSA public key; if the private key is later exposed, all recorded sessions can be decrypted.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
ECDHE provides perfect forward secrecy.
Why this is correct
This ensures that compromise of the server's long-term key does not expose past session keys.
- ✗
ECDHE is faster than RSA key exchange.
Why it's wrong here
Performance is not the primary security reason; ECDHE may be faster but that's not the key property.
- ✗
ECDHE is required by PCI DSS for all web transactions.
Why it's wrong here
PCI DSS does not mandate a specific key exchange algorithm.
- ✗
ECDHE uses smaller key sizes for equivalent security.
Why it's wrong here
While true, this is not the primary security improvement over RSA.
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 SSCP exam.