Question 99 of 1,000

Cryptography →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SSCP Cryptography Practice Question

Q: How is Cryptography tested on the SSCP exam?

Cryptography — This question tests Cryptography — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

Q: What is the correct answer to this Cryptography SSCP question?

The correct answer is: Sender's private key to sign, sender's public key to verify — Digital signatures use asymmetric cryptography where the sender creates a signature with their private key, and the recipient verifies it with the sender's public key. This ensures non-repudiation because only the sender possesses their private key, so they cannot deny having signed the document. The process typically involves hashing the document and encrypting the hash with the sender's private key.

Q: Why do candidates get Cryptography questions wrong on the SSCP exam?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of cryptography. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.

An organization is implementing a digital signature solution to ensure non-repudiation of documents. Which combination of keys is used during the signing process?

A
Recipient's public key to sign, recipient's private key to verify
Why wrong: This describes encryption for confidentiality, not digital signatures.
B
Sender's private key to sign, sender's public key to verify
The private key creates the signature, and the corresponding public key verifies it.
C
Sender's public key to sign, recipient's private key to verify
Why wrong: Signing uses the private key, not the public key.
D
A shared symmetric key for both signing and verification
Why wrong: Symmetric keys do not provide non-repudiation.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Sender's private key to sign, sender's public key to verify

Digital signatures use asymmetric cryptography where the sender creates a signature with their private key, and the recipient verifies it with the sender's public key. This ensures non-repudiation because only the sender possesses their private key, so they cannot deny having signed the document. The process typically involves hashing the document and encrypting the hash with the sender's private key.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

✗
Recipient's public key to sign, recipient's private key to verify
Why it's wrong here
This describes encryption for confidentiality, not digital signatures.
✓
Sender's private key to sign, sender's public key to verify
Why this is correct
The private key creates the signature, and the corresponding public key verifies it.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Sender's public key to sign, recipient's private key to verify
Why it's wrong here
Signing uses the private key, not the public key.
✗
A shared symmetric key for both signing and verification
Why it's wrong here
Symmetric keys do not provide non-repudiation.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Cisco often tests the misconception that signing uses a public key or that verification uses a private key, leading candidates to confuse the roles of keys in encryption versus signing.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, digital signature algorithms like RSA or ECDSA work by hashing the document (e.g., with SHA-256) and then encrypting that hash with the sender's private key. The recipient decrypts the hash with the sender's public key and compares it to a freshly computed hash of the document; a match confirms integrity and authenticity. In practice, standards like PKCS#7 or CMS (RFC 5652) define the exact structure for signed data, and X.509 certificates bind the sender's public key to their identity.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

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.

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

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SSCP question test?

Cryptography — This question tests Cryptography — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Sender's private key to sign, sender's public key to verify — Digital signatures use asymmetric cryptography where the sender creates a signature with their private key, and the recipient verifies it with the sender's public key. This ensures non-repudiation because only the sender possesses their private key, so they cannot deny having signed the document. The process typically involves hashing the document and encrypting the hash with the sender's private key.

What should I do if I get this SSCP question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

Question Discussion

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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.