ICT2213 Applied Cryptography Lecture 12: Key Management (Key Storage)

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What is the purpose of using a salt in PBKDF2?

To ensure the key is unique for each user (correct)

To increase the number of iterations required to perform a dictionary attack

To protect the password from being revealed

To make the algorithm more efficient

What is the recommended minimum number of iterations for PBKDF2?

10000

100

1000 (correct)

500

How are private keys stored using PKCS #8?

The private key is encrypted using a symmetric algorithm with a user-provided password

The private key is stored in plaintext

The private key is stored in a hardware security module

The private key is encrypted using PBES2 with PBKDF2 for key derivation (correct)

Which S2K algorithm is recommended for PGP?

Type 3 S2K (iterated and salted) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main claim made by the security company about password-based cryptography?

Password-based keys can be compromised, but the level of security depends on the implementation Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of using PBKDF2 in password-based cryptography?

To increase the cost of dictionary attacks Signup and view all the answers

Which type of devices are commonly used to store MKs in high-security environments?

Hardware security modules (HSMs) Signup and view all the answers

What is the self-destruct mechanism of Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) triggered by?

Tampering detection Signup and view all the answers

Which technique involves using a key-generating key (KGK) with unique data to derive secret keys stored in secure embedded devices?

Key diversification Signup and view all the answers

Which standard defines key-wrap algorithms for use with an AES KEK to encrypt and store a secret key?

RFC 3394/5649 Signup and view all the answers

In the context of secure transactions, what is the purpose of passing KEKs and DKs as parameters to each transaction when needed?

To mitigate key theft risks Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of issuing and storing keys in secure embedded devices like smart cards or tokens?

To ensure tamper-resistant key storage Signup and view all the answers

In a key hierarchy, what is the primary purpose of Master Keys (MKs)?

To distribute and protect Key-Encrypting Keys (KEKs) and Data Keys (DKs) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about Key-Encrypting Keys (KEKs) is correct?

KEKs are optional and used to distribute and protect Data Keys (DKs) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of Data Keys (DKs) in a key hierarchy?

To encrypt and decrypt sensitive data, as well as generate Message Authentication Codes (MACs) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes the rationale behind using a key hierarchy?

To limit the exposure of encryption keys and minimize the amount of protected information Signup and view all the answers

In a key hierarchy, which of the following keys are distributed manually for security reasons?

Master Keys (MKs) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about key hierarchy is incorrect?

Master Keys (MKs) are used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data directly Signup and view all the answers