Quick Answer
The answer is MD5, DES, and 3DES, as these three are the insecure deprecated cryptographic algorithms that should be avoided. MD5 is broken due to practical collision attacks achievable in seconds on commodity hardware, while DES uses a dangerously short 56-bit key that cannot withstand modern brute-force attempts, and 3DES, though an improvement, is now deprecated by NIST due to slow performance and susceptibility to meet-in-the-middle attacks. On the Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP exam, this question tests your ability to identify outdated ciphers and hash functions that violate current security baselines—a common trap is confusing 3DES as still acceptable because it was once a standard, but remember NIST disallowed it for new applications after 2023. A useful memory tip: think “D3M” for Deprecated, DES, 3DES, and MD5—all three are dead ends for secure cryptography.
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of 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.
A security auditor is reviewing the cryptographic algorithms used in an organization. Which THREE of the following are considered insecure or deprecated and should be avoided? (Select THREE.)
RSA-2048
Why wrong: RSA with 2048-bit keys is still considered secure.
DES
DES uses a 56-bit key, making it vulnerable to brute-force attacks.
3DES
3DES is deprecated due to performance issues and theoretical attacks.
AES-256
Why wrong: AES-256 is a current standard and considered secure.
MD5
MD5 is vulnerable to collision attacks and is broken.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
DES
DES (Data Encryption Standard) uses a 56-bit key, which is too short to withstand modern brute-force attacks; it was officially withdrawn as a standard by NIST in 2005. 3DES, while an improvement, is now deprecated due to its relatively slow performance and susceptibility to meet-in-the-middle attacks, with NIST disallowing it for new applications after 2023. MD5 is a broken hash algorithm; collision attacks (e.g., using a chosen-prefix collision) can be performed in seconds on commodity hardware, making it unsuitable for any security-sensitive use.
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.
RSA-2048
Why it's wrong here
RSA with 2048-bit keys is still considered secure.
DES
Why this is correct
DES uses a 56-bit key, making it vulnerable to brute-force attacks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
3DES
Why this is correct
3DES is deprecated due to performance issues and theoretical attacks.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AES-256
Why it's wrong here
AES-256 is a current standard and considered secure.
MD5
Why this is correct
MD5 is vulnerable to collision attacks and is broken.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the misconception that 3DES is still acceptable because it is 'triple' strength, but the trap is that both DES and 3DES are deprecated due to small block sizes and key lengths, while MD5 is often mistakenly considered safe for checksums despite its proven collision vulnerabilities.
Detailed technical explanation
DES operates on 64-bit blocks with a 56-bit effective key, making it vulnerable to exhaustive key search in under 24 hours with custom hardware (e.g., the EFF DES Cracker). 3DES applies DES three times (encrypt-decrypt-encrypt) with two or three keys, but its 64-bit block size makes it susceptible to birthday attacks in high-volume environments (e.g., encrypting more than ~32 GB of data). MD5's collision resistance is broken; in 2008, researchers demonstrated a collision in under 2 hours on a cluster, and tools like HashClash can generate colliding X.509 certificates, enabling impersonation attacks.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Cryptography — This question tests Cryptography — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: DES — DES (Data Encryption Standard) uses a 56-bit key, which is too short to withstand modern brute-force attacks; it was officially withdrawn as a standard by NIST in 2005. 3DES, while an improvement, is now deprecated due to its relatively slow performance and susceptibility to meet-in-the-middle attacks, with NIST disallowing it for new applications after 2023. MD5 is a broken hash algorithm; collision attacks (e.g., using a chosen-prefix collision) can be performed in seconds on commodity hardware, making it unsuitable for any security-sensitive use.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO of the following cryptographic algorithms are considered secure for modern use?
mediumWhy B: AES-256 (option B) is a symmetric cipher with 256-bit key, considered secure. ChaCha20 (option D) is a stream cipher also considered secure. DES, RC4, and MD5 are broken or deprecated.
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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