CISSP Cryptography - Domain 5 Flashcards
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Cryptography goals - Confidentiality
Unauthorized parties cannot access information.
Cryptography goals - Authenticity
Validating the source of the message to ensure the sender is properly identified.
Cryptography goals - Integrity
Assurance that the message was not modified during transmission, accidentally or intentionally.
Cryptography goals - Non-repudiation
A sender cannot deny sending the message at a later date.
Binary operations and Key components -Key
Just a string of bits: 1. May be a single large number or group of numbers. 2. Possible length 2N.
Binary operations and Key components - Plain text
Digital representation of data - ASCII, MS Word, Excel, Email, etc.
Binary operations and Key components - Encryption and Decryption operations
- Bit-wise operations-XOR, shift left/right, substitutions or permeations. 2. Mod N arithmetic using numerical values - add, sub, mult, div, raise to the power.
Keyspace
- Range of possible values that can be used to construct a key. 2. The larger the keycap, the more possible key values, and the more random the whole process, which increases the cryptosystem’s strength.
Symmetric Keyspace
- For a small 16-bit key, the key is 2 to the power of 16 or 65536 keys. 2. For DES (56 bits) it is 2 to the power of 56 or 72 quadrillion keys.
Strength of a Cryptosystem
- Algorithm, secrecy of key, length of key. 2. Strength of the protection mechanism should be used in correlation to the sensitivity of the data being encrypted. 3. Even if the algorithm is very complex and thorough, there are other issues within encryption that can weaken the strength of encryption methods.
Symmetric Ciphers (Algorithms)
- Stream Ciphers - Exclusive OR (XOR). 2. Block Ciphers - a. Substitution ciphers - replacing one value for another b. Transposition/permutation ciphers - change in relative position.
Asymmetric Ciphers
Public Key Cryptography - public/private key pairs.
Cryptosystem solutions
- Confusion - hiding patterns in the plaintext by substitution. 2. Diffusion - transposing the plain text through cipher text. 3. Avalanche - a change in one bit of the plaintext causes a change in half the resultant ciphertext.
History of Cryptography - Hieroglyphics
- 2000 B.C.. 2. First known cryptographic method. 3. Not really for secrecy. 4. Use of “non-standard” hierglyphics.
History of Cryptography - Scythe Cipher
Spartans wrapped papyrus around a rod to encrypt and decrypt a message: 1. 400 B.C. 2. Used to convey military directives.
History of Cryptography - Substitution Cipher
- One character is replaced with another. 2. When only one set of characters is used for substitution it is a mono-alphabetic algorithm. 3. Caesar also used a similar algorithm that sifted characters three places.
History of Cryptography - Vigenere Cipher (Polyalphabetic)
- Vigenere Cipher - proposed by Blaise de Vigenere from the court of Henry III of France in the 16th century. 2. Polyalphabetic is using two or more cipher alphabets.
History of Cryptography - Cryptography in War
Enigma: 1. Used in WWII to encrypt telegraphic comms. 2. Rotor cipher machine that used polyalphabetic substitution. 3. Key was the orignal setting of the rotors and the sequence of advancement for each rotor. 4. Individual rotors are connected in a bank. 5. Character entered and substituted by each rotor for encryption.
Cryptography Definitions - Cryptography
Science of hiding meaning in communications.
Cryptography Definitions - Cryptanalysis
Science of studying and breaking the secrecy of encryption algorithms and their necessary pieces.
Cryptography Definitions - Cryptosystem
Mechanism that carries out the encryption process.
Cryptography Definitions - Work Factor
The amount of time and resources needed to overcome protective measures of a crypto system: “breaking” is decreasing the work factor to a reasonable level.
Cryptography Definitions - Cryptographic Algorithm (Cipher)
Procedure to encrypt plaintext into ciphertext and vice versa.