Certified Information Systems Security Professional CISSP · Free Practice Question Easy

Question 8

During a meeting with your company's clients, you discuss the importance of secure communication and ask what encryption algorithm they use for real-time communication. Which encryption algorithm is suitable for real-time transmission of data where the size of the message is variable?
  • A Symmetric encryption algorithm
  • B Stream cipher encryption algorithm
  • C Block cipher encryption algorithm
  • D Asymmetric encryption algorithm
Reveal correct answer

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer: Stream cipher encryption algorithm is suitable for real-time transmission of data where the size of the message is variable. They encrypt data bit by bit or byte by byte, adapting naturally to the size of the message. This attribute, combined with their computational efficiency, makes them ideal for real-time secure communication scenarios where data size can vary, and latency needs to be minimized. The incorrect answers: Asymmetric encryption algorithms, such as RSA or ECC, are typically used for key exchange, digital signatures, or small amounts of data. Due to their computational complexity, they are not ideally suited for encrypting large amounts of data in real-time, especially if the data size is variable. Symmetric encryption algorithms can be either block ciphers (like AES) or stream ciphers. While symmetric algorithms are generally efficient, block ciphers may not be ideal for real-time data transmission of variable message sizes, as they process data in fixed-size blocks. Block cipher algorithms like AES or DES operate on fixed-sized blocks of data, typically 64 or 128 bits. This makes them less suitable for real-time data transmission where message sizes are variable.

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