ECCouncil 212-81 Practice Test - Questions Answers
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Question 1
Software for maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume. Data is automatically encrypted right before it is saved, then decrypted right after it is loaded, all w/o user intervention.
Explanation:
VeraCrypt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VeraCrypt
VeraCrypt is a source-available freeware utility used for on-the-fly encryption (OTFE). It can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file or encrypt a partition or (in Windows) the entire storage device with pre-boot authentication.
Incorrect answers:
PGP - designed by Phil Zimmerman as a freeware e-mail security program and was released in 1991. It was the first widespread public key encryption program.
VPN - A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Applications running across a VPN may therefore benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network. Encryption is a common, although not an inherent, part of a VPN connection
Cryptool - an open-source project that focuses on the free e-learning software CrypTool illustrating cryptographic and cryptanalytic concepts. According to 'Hakin9', CrypTool is worldwide the most widespread e-learning software in the field of cryptology.
Question 2
Which of the following statements is most true regarding binary operations and encryption?
Explanation:
They can form a part of viable encryption methods
for example - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XOR_cipher
The XOR operator is extremely common as a component in more complex ciphers. By itself, using a constant repeating key, a simple XOR cipher can trivially be broken using frequency analysis. If the content of any message can be guessed or otherwise known then the key can be revealed. Its primary merit is that it is simple to implement, and that the XOR operation is computationally inexpensive. A simple repeating XOR (i.e. using the same key for xor operation on the whole data) cipher is therefore sometimes used for hiding information in cases where no particular security is required. The XOR cipher is often used in computer malware to make reverse engineering more difficult.
Question 3
A type of frequency analysis used to attack polyalphabetic substitution ciphers. It's used to try to discover patterns and use that information to decrypt the cipher.
Explanation:
Kasiski Method
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasiski_examination
In cryptanalysis, Kasiski examination (also referred to as Kasiski's test or Kasiski's method) is a method of attacking polyalphabetic substitution ciphers, such as the Vigenre cipher. It was first published by Friedrich Kasiski in 1863, but seems to have been independently discovered by Charles Babbage as early as 1846.
Incorrect answers:
Integral Cryptanalysis - uses lots of sets of plaintext that are similar with slight modifications. These are encrypted and then the variations are analyzed to determine if there's anything that can be zeroed in on.
Information Deduction - the attacker gains some Shannon information about plaintexts (or ciphertexts) not previously known.
Birthday Attack - cryptographic attack that exploits the mathematics behind the birthday problem in the probability theory forces collisions within hashing functions.
Question 4
What is an IV?
Explanation:
A fixed size random stream that is added to a block cipher to increase randomeness
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_cipher_mode_of_operation#Initialization_vector_(IV)
An initialization vector (IV) or starting variable (SV) is a block of bits that is used by several modes to randomize the encryption and hence to produce distinct ciphertexts even if the same plaintext is encrypted multiple times, without the need for a slower re-keying process.
Question 5
Part of understanding cryptography is understanding the cryptographic primitives that go into any crypto system. A(n) _______ is a fixed-size input to a cryptographic primitive that is random or pseudorandom.
Explanation:
Key
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_(cryptography)
In cryptography, a key is a piece of information (a parameter) that determines the functional output of a cryptographic algorithm. For encryption algorithms, a key specifies the transformation of plaintext into ciphertext, and vice versa for decryption algorithms. Keys also specify transformations in other cryptographic algorithms, such as digital signature schemes and message authentication codes.
Question 6
The most common way steganography is accomplished is via which one of the following?
Explanation:
lbs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_numbering#:~:text=In%20computing%2C%20the%20least%20significant,number%20is%20even%20or%20odd.
The least significant bit (LSB) is the bit position in a binary integer giving the units value, that is, determining whether the number is even or odd. The LSB is sometimes referred to as the low-order bit or right-most bit, due to the convention in positional notation of writing less significant digits further to the right. It is analogous to the least significant digit of a decimal integer, which is the digit in the ones (right-most) position.
Question 7
A _______ product refers to an NSA-endorsed classified or controlled cryptographic item for classified or sensitive U. S. government information, including cryptographic equipment, assembly, or component classified or certified by NSA for encrypting and decrypting classified and sensitive national security information when appropriately keyed
Explanation:
Type 1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA_cryptography#Type_1_Product
A Type 1 Product refers to an NSA endorsed classified or controlled cryptographic item for classified or sensitive U.S. government information, including cryptographic equipment, assembly or component classified or certified by NSA for encrypting and decrypting classified and sensitive national security information when appropriately keyed.
Incorrect answers:
Type 2 - product refers to an NSA endorsed unclassified cryptographic equipment, assemblies or components for sensitive but unclassified U.S. government information.
Type 3 - unclassified cryptographic equipment, assembly, or component used, when appropriately keyed, for encrypting or decrypting unclassified sensitive U.S. Government or commercial information, and to protect systems requiring protection mechanisms consistent with standard commercial practices. A Type 3 Algorithm refers to NIST endorsed algorithms, registered and FIPS published, for sensitive but unclassified U.S. government and commercial information.
Type 4 - Algorithm refers to algorithms that are registered by the NIST but are not FIPS published. Unevaluated commercial cryptographic equipment, assemblies, or components that are neither NSA nor NIST certified for any Government usage.
Question 8
The reverse process from encoding - converting the encoded message back into its plaintext format.
Explanation:
Decoding
Decoding - reverse process from encoding,converting the encoded message back into its plaintext format.
Question 9
Which of the following asymmetric algorithms is described by U.S. Patent 5,231,668 and FIPS 186
Explanation:
DSA
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSA
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) proposed DSA for use in their Digital Signature Standard (DSS) in 1991, and adopted it as FIPS 186 in 1994.
DSA is covered by U.S. Patent 5,231,668 , filed July 26, 1991 and now expired, and attributed to David W. Kravitz, a former NSA employee.
Question 10
If Bob is using asymmetric cryptography and wants to send a message to Alice so that only she can decrypt it, what key should he use to encrypt the message?
Explanation:
Alice's public key
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffie%E2%80%93Hellman_key_exchange
In asymmetric (public key) cryptography, both communicating parties (i.e. both Alice and Bob) have two keys of their own --- just to be clear, that's four keys total. Each party has their own public key, which they share with the world, and their own private key which they ... well, which they keep private, of course but, more than that, which they keep as a closely guarded secret. The magic of public key cryptography is that a message encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key. Alice will encrypt her message with Bob's public key, and even though Eve knows she used Bob's public key, and even though Eve knows Bob's public key herself, she is unable to decrypt the message. Only Bob, using his secret key, can decrypt the message ... assuming he's kept it secret, of course.
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