SECTION A

Multiple Choice Questions

Attempt All Questions [30x1=30]

1. Which of the following focuses on protecting digital systems and networks?

A. Information Security
B. Cybersecurity
C. Physical Security
D. Data Science

2. Cryptanalysis primarily deals with:

A. Encrypting messages
B. Managing public keys
C. Cracking encryption systems
D. Writing secure software

3. A security mechanism provides:

A. Threat identification
B. Policy enforcement
C. Cryptographic standards
D. Secure user interface

4. Which one is NOT a security service?

A. Authentication
B. Non-repudiation
C. Compression
D. Confidentiality

5. Monoalphabetic substitution ciphers are:

A. Secure for modern use
B. Easy to break using frequency analysis
C. Impossible to decrypt
D. Transposition-based

6. Which cipher encrypts by rearranging the letters of plaintext?

A. Caesar Cipher
B. Monoalphabetic Cipher
C. Transposition Cipher
 D. Vigenère Cipher

7. The Hill Cipher uses:

A. Permutation
B. Matrix multiplication
C. Hashing
D. Bit rotation

8. The Rail Fence Cipher is an example of:

A. Polyalphabetic substitution
B. Transposition
C. Stream cipher
D. Block cipher

9. In DES, the key length is:

A. 64 bits (with 56 used)
B. 128 bits
C. 32 bits
D. 48 bits

10. Which technique increases DES security?

A. XOR chaining
B. Hashing
C. Triple DES
D. Cipher Feedback

11. What is the major drawback of DES?

A. High complexity
B. Short key length
C. Poor performance
D. No decryption

12. Which of the following is NOT a modern block cipher?

A. AES
B. DES
C. Blowfish
D. Caesar Cipher

13. AES was selected through:

A. IEEE
B. NSA
 C. NIST
D. ISO

14. In AES, which round function provides confusion?

A. ShiftRows
B. SubBytes
C. MixColumns
D. AddRoundKey

15. AES uses:

A. Feistel network
B. Stream processing
C. Substitution-permutation network
D. Bit masking

16. IDEA uses:

A. Bit rotation
B. Modular arithmetic
C. Discrete logs
D. Polynomials

17. Blowfish supports key sizes up to:

A. 64 bits
B. 128 bits
C. 256 bits
D. 448 bits

18. End-to-end encryption ensures:

A. Only servers can read data
B. Data remains encrypted throughout its path
C. Network devices decrypt the message
D. No use of keys

19. Which term refers to observing patterns in message transmission?

A. Confidentiality
B. Traffic Analysis
C. Key Exchange
D. Session Hijacking

20. Which method is better at protecting data at endpoints?

A. Link Encryption
 B. End-to-End Encryption
C. Stream Encryption
D. Hashing

21. Public key systems solve the problem of:

A. Hashing
B. Key distribution
C. Message formatting
D. Cipher feedback

22. Which mathematical concept is central to RSA?

A. Matrix inversion
B. Factorization of large integers
C. XOR operation
D. Bit rotation

23. In RSA, the public key includes:

A. Only one prime number
B. Private exponent
C. Public exponent and modulus
D. Random number

24. Diffie-Hellman is vulnerable to:

A. Hash collisions
B. Man-in-the-middle attack
C. Key duplication
D. Stream overflow

25. Which system uses asymmetric encryption for secure key exchange?
A. DES
B. AES
C. RSA
D. Diffie-Hellman

26. Hash functions must be:

A. Slow
B. Reversible
C. One-way
D. Compressible
 27. Which algorithm generates a 128-bit hash?
A. SHA-1
B. MD5
C. SHA-2
D. SHA-256

28. Direct digital signatures:

A. Require third-party
B. Do not ensure authenticity
C. Are verified by sender and receiver
D. Are not encrypted

29. Which authentication protocol is used in Windows domains?

A. EAP
B. Kerberos
C. SHA
D. DSS

30. PGP is primarily used to:

A. Secure websites
B. Encrypt databases
C. Secure emails
D. Monitor traffic

SECTION B
Short Answer Questions
Attempt any five (5) questions out of eight (8) questions [5x6=30]
1. What are the key differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption techniques?
Discuss their main characteristics, including key usage, speed, and security aspects.
Provide two examples of commonly used algorithms for each type of encryption.

[3+3] [Chapter 1: Introduction to Cryptography]

2. Encrypt the plaintext “MEET ME AT DAWN” using the Playfair cipher with the
keyword: “SUNSHINE.” Then, decrypt the resulting ciphertext back to plaintext.

[6][Chapter 2: Classical Encryption Techniques]

3. Explain the sequence of AES decryption steps and how they reverse the encryption
operations. Compare each decryption stage with its encryption counterpart, focusing on
transformations, order, and key usage.
[3+3][Chapter 4: Advanced Encryption Standard]
4. Define traffic analysis in network security and explain how it threatens data
confidentiality despite encryption. Provide examples of information attackers can infer
through traffic analysis.
[6][Chapter 6: Confidentiality Using Symmetric Encryption]
5. Explain the process of key generation in symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic
systems. What are the different key distribution schemes, and how do manual,
centralized, and decentralized methods compare in terms of efficiency and security?

[3+3][Chapter 8: Key Management]

6. Compare Message Authentication Codes (MACs) and Cryptographic Hash Functions.

Discuss their purposes, working principles, and security properties. Explain scenarios or
applications where each should be used.

[6][Chapter 9:Message Authentication and Hash Function]

7. What are the key improvements of SHA-2 over SHA-1? Discuss the enhancements in
security and performance. Provide examples of SHA-2 variants and briefly describe their
differences. [3+3][Chapter 10: Hash and MAC Algorithms]

8. Discuss password-based authentication systems. Explain their working principles and

common use cases. What are the key limitations of these systems, and how can their
security be enhanced to mitigate these weaknesses?

[1+2+3][Chapter 12:Authentication Application]

SECTION C
Long Answer Questions
Attempt any two (2) questions [2x20=40]

1. You are given the following 3×3 key matrix for encryption in the Hill Cipher:

a. Encrypt the plaintext "CONGRATULATE" using the Hill Cipher and the given
key matrix. (Use A = 0, B = 1, ..., Z = 25)
b. Compute the inverse of the key matrix modulo 26.
c. Decrypt the ciphertext obtained in part (a) using the inverse matrix.
[8+7+5][Chapter 2:Classical Encryption Technique]
2. Explain the concept of public key cryptosystems and how they differ from symmetric key
cryptography.

a. Describe the encryption and decryption processes in a public key system with a
suitable example.
b. Discuss the key applications of public key cryptography in modern digital
security. Explain how public keys are securely distributed, including the risks of
man-in-the-middle attacks and methods to prevent them.
c. Provide a detailed explanation of the RSA algorithm, including key generation,
encryption, decryption, and a step-by-step numerical example.
[6+6+8][Chapter 7:Public key Cryptosystem
and RSA]
3. Explain common web security threats and how SSL/TLS protocols mitigate them.
Describe how HTTPS uses SSL/TLS to secure web communication. Outline the Secure
Electronic Transaction (SET) protocol, highlighting the role of dual signatures in
payment security. Briefly explain the SMTP protocol and how PEM and PGP secure
email communication. Discuss the key concepts of secure email, focusing on encryption
and digital signatures.

[5+5+5+5][Chapter 13:Email, IP, Web Security]

**** BEST OF LUCK ****