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Quizzes > Computers & IT

Cryptography Quiz: Test Your Skills

Quick, free cryptography test with instant results and answer feedback.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Georgia GriffithUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art illustrating a cryptography knowledge quiz

This cryptography quiz helps you practice encryption, decryption, and key management with 15 quick multiple-choice questions and instant feedback after each answer. Want more focused practice? Try our public key cryptography quiz, or build your skills with a cybersecurity knowledge quiz and an information security quiz.

What is the primary characteristic of symmetric encryption?
It uses different keys for encryption and decryption.
It uses a public key only.
It uses a one-way function without keys.
It uses the same key for encryption and decryption.
Symmetric encryption uses a single shared secret key for both encryption and decryption. This key must be known to both sender and receiver, providing confidentiality but requiring secure key distribution.
Which of the following algorithms is an example of a symmetric cipher?
AES
RSA
Diffie-Hellman
ElGamal
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a widely used symmetric block cipher where the same key encrypts and decrypts data. RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and ElGamal are asymmetric algorithms that use key pairs rather than a single shared key.
What does RSA stand for in cryptography?
Rivest - Sleator - Adleman
Rivest - Schapire - Adleman
Rivest - Shamir - Adleman
Random Symmetric Algorithm
RSA is named after its inventors Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. It is one of the first practical public key cryptosystems and remains widely used for secure data transmission.
What is the primary purpose of a cryptographic hash function?
To sign data with a private key
To establish a shared secret key over an insecure channel
To generate a fixed-size digest of data
To encrypt data symmetrically
A cryptographic hash function takes input data and produces a fixed-size output called a hash or digest. This digest uniquely represents the input and is used for integrity checks and other applications.
Which cryptographic mechanism ensures both data integrity and non-repudiation?
Diffie-Hellman key exchange
Symmetric encryption
Hash function alone
Digital signature
Digital signatures combine hashing with asymmetric encryption to provide integrity and non-repudiation. They allow a recipient to verify that data was generated by a specific private key holder and has not been altered.
Which type of attack exploits improper padding validation in block cipher modes?
Padding oracle attack
Birthday attack
Side-channel attack
Man-in-the-middle attack
A padding oracle attack takes advantage of a system that leaks information about padding validity when decrypting. By observing error responses, an attacker can gradually recover plaintext from ciphertext.
How does Electronic Codebook (ECB) mode differ from Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode?
ECB requires a public key, CBC uses a private key
ECB provides integrity, CBC provides confidentiality
ECB uses an initialization vector for each block, CBC does not
ECB encrypts each block independently, while CBC chains blocks with the previous ciphertext
In ECB mode, each plaintext block is encrypted separately, which can reveal patterns. CBC mode XORs each plaintext block with the previous ciphertext block, improving security by introducing chaining.
What is required to verify a digital signature?
A cryptographic hash without key
The signer's public key
A shared symmetric key
The signer's private key
To verify a digital signature, the recipient uses the signer's public key to decrypt the signature and compare the resulting hash to a locally computed hash. The public key confirms authenticity without exposing the private key.
What is the main outcome of Diffie-Hellman key exchange?
A certificate issued by a CA
Authentication of message origin
A shared secret key agreed between two parties
A digital signature for non-repudiation
Diffie-Hellman allows two parties to establish a common secret over an unsecured channel. Neither party's private values are transmitted, ensuring the shared key remains unknown to eavesdroppers.
What is a primary disadvantage of symmetric key distribution in large networks?
It cannot ensure confidentiality
It relies on public key infrastructure
It requires a secure channel for every key exchange
It uses significant computational resources for key generation
Symmetric key distribution in large networks demands a secure method to share keys with every participant. This becomes impractical at scale due to the need for many secure channels or trusted couriers.
Which property of cryptographic hash functions prevents an attacker from finding two different inputs with the same output?
Asymmetry
Collision resistance
Determinism
Pre-image resistance
Collision resistance ensures it is computationally infeasible to find two distinct inputs that hash to the same value. This property is crucial for preventing attacker-generated data that matches a legitimate hash.
ElGamal encryption is an example of which type of cryptosystem?
Asymmetric encryption
Symmetric encryption
Hash-based signature
Block cipher mode
ElGamal is an asymmetric encryption scheme relying on discrete logarithm problems. It uses a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption, unlike symmetric algorithms.
Compared to AES-128, what is a key characteristic of AES-256?
It uses asymmetric keys
It processes larger block sizes
It is vulnerable to quantum attacks at the same rate
It uses a longer key for increased security
AES-256 extends the key length to 256 bits, making brute-force attacks significantly harder than AES-128. The block size remains at 128 bits, but the increased key space enhances security.
What is the purpose of PBKDF2 in password handling?
To create hash collisions intentionally
To encrypt passwords directly for storage
To derive and stretch keys from passwords
To distribute keys over a network
PBKDF2 applies a pseudorandom function to a password along with a salt and iterates multiple times to produce a derived key. This process delays brute-force attacks by increasing computational effort.
Which protocol feature provides forward secrecy using ephemeral keys?
IPsec tunnel mode
TLS with Ephemeral Diffie-Hellman (DHE)
Static RSA key exchange
TLS without certificate verification
TLS with Ephemeral Diffie-Hellman (DHE) uses one-time key pairs for each session, so compromising long-term keys does not expose past communications. This ensures that each session remains confidential even if future keys are compromised.
What is a primary advantage of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) over RSA at equivalent security levels?
Resistance to collision attacks
No need for secure random number generators
Ease of factoring large integers
Smaller key sizes and faster computations
ECC achieves comparable security to RSA with much smaller key sizes, reducing computational overhead and bandwidth. This efficiency makes it suitable for resource-constrained environments.
Why is MD5 no longer recommended for digital signature schemes?
It is too slow for modern applications
It uses asymmetric keys inherently
It produces variable-length outputs
It is vulnerable to collision attacks that allow forgeries
MD5's design flaws enable attackers to find two inputs that hash to the same value, undermining its collision resistance. This vulnerability can lead to malicious forgeries of signatures and data tampering.
Which post-quantum signature scheme is based on hash-based constructions?
NTRU
RSA-PSS
ECDSA
XMSS
XMSS (eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme) is a hash-based digital signature algorithm designed for post-quantum security. It relies on secure hash functions rather than number-theoretic problems vulnerable to quantum attacks.
How does HMAC protect against length extension attacks inherent in some hash functions?
By truncating the hash to half its length
By appending a public salt to the message
By using an inner and outer hash with a secret key
By encrypting the hash output with RSA
HMAC incorporates a secret key into both inner and outer hash computations, preventing attackers from extending the message and computing a valid hash. This design removes the vulnerability found in simple concatenation hashing schemes.
What does Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) ensure in secure communications?
Session keys are reused to simplify key management
All messages are signed with a single long-term key
Symmetric keys are distributed via public key encryption
Compromise of long-term keys does not compromise past session keys
Perfect Forward Secrecy generates unique session keys for each communication, so even if long-term keys are later compromised, past sessions remain secure. This protects historical data from future key exposures.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of popular ciphers.
  2. Identify the differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption methods.
  3. Apply cryptographic concepts to secure communication scenarios.
  4. Evaluate key management and distribution techniques effectively.
  5. Demonstrate the use of hashing and digital signatures.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Understand the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption - Symmetric encryption uses a single key for both locking and unlocking data, which makes it super speedy but requires a secret handshake to exchange the key. Asymmetric encryption splits the magic into a public key for locks and a private key for unlocks, letting you share secrets without exposing the vault combination. Together they form the dynamic duo keeping our digital world safe! Dive into the basics
  2. Familiarize yourself with common symmetric encryption algorithms - AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is like the gold standard of encryption - fast, strong, and trusted worldwide - while DES (Data Encryption Standard) laid the groundwork before AES took center stage. Understanding how these algorithms shuffle and substitute bits helps you appreciate the art of scrambling data. Experimenting with simple code examples can turn these abstract concepts into "aha!" moments. Explore AES & DES
  3. Learn about popular asymmetric encryption algorithms - RSA (Rivest - Shamir - Adleman) relies on the math magic of large prime numbers, making it a rock-solid choice for passwords and digital signatures. ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) uses curves instead of huge primes, offering similar security with smaller keys - think of it as encryption on a diet! Both keep your chat apps, emails, and online banking locked down. Meet RSA & ECC
  4. Grasp the concept of hashing and its role in data integrity - Hash functions act like digital fingerprint machines, turning any input - big or small - into a fixed-size string of characters. Even a tiny tweak in the original data creates a completely different fingerprint, helping you detect sneaky tampering. Hashes power everything from password storage to blockchain chains! Dive into hashing
  5. Understand the purpose and function of digital signatures - Digital signatures use your private key to "sign" a message, guaranteeing it came from you and hasn't been altered in transit. Recipients verify your signature with your public key, giving non-repudiation: you can't deny sending it! This is the cyber equivalent of signing for a package. Unlock digital signatures
  6. Explore key management and distribution techniques - Secure key management is like a treasure map: if it falls into the wrong hands, your loot (data) is toast. It covers safe key generation, sharing, storage, rotation, and destruction - no loose ends allowed. Mastering this keeps the vault firmly under lock and key. Key management 101
  7. Study block cipher modes of operation - Block ciphers split data into fixed-size blocks, but modes like ECB (Electronic Codebook) and CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) determine how those blocks dance together. ECB is simple but can leak patterns, while CBC mixes blocks like a baker kneading dough. Picking the right mode balances security and speed. Cipher modes explained
  8. Learn about Kerckhoffs's principle in cryptography - Kerckhoffs's principle declares "the system should be secure even if everyone knows how it works, except the key." It's the ultimate trust fall: you only need faith in the secrecy of the key, not the secrecy of the algorithm. This mindset drives open-source crypto and peer review. Study the principle
  9. Understand the role of cryptographic protocols - Protocols like SSL/TLS are the rulebooks for secure internet chats, encrypting data in transit so eavesdroppers hit a brick wall. They handle handshakes, keys, and checks that ensure your credit card number stays under wraps. Think of them as bouncers guarding the data party. Secure your comms
  10. Recognize the core principles of cryptography - Confidentiality keeps prying eyes out, integrity ensures content stays true, authentication verifies who's who, and non-repudiation prevents denials. Together, these pillars form the fortress that protects messages, files, and entire networks. They're the ABCs of cyber defense! Meet the four pillars
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