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SSCP Practice Question: Which TWO of the following cryptographic…
Which TWO of the following cryptographic algorithms are considered secure for modern use?
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
ChaCha20 (option B) and AES-256 (option C) are considered secure for modern use. DES, RC4, and MD5 are broken or deprecated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
MD5 (Message Digest 5)
Why it's wrong here
MD5 has known collision attacks and should not be used.
- ✓
ChaCha20
Why this is correct
ChaCha20 is a secure stream cipher, commonly used in TLS.
- ✓
AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit key)
Why this is correct
AES-256 is a widely accepted secure symmetric cipher.
- ✗
RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4)
Why it's wrong here
RC4 has known biases and is considered broken.
- ✗
DES (Data Encryption Standard)
Why it's wrong here
DES has a 56-bit key, too short, easily brute-forced.
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 |
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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.