Question

Difficulty: EasyCryptographic and Security Control Weaknesses

Match each cryptographic or security control weakness on the left with its corresponding technical description on the right.

  • Hardcoded Cryptographic KeyEmbedding secret symmetric keys directly within application code or compiled binaries.
  • Deprecated/Weak Cipher SuiteUtilizing legacy algorithms with short key lengths or known structural flaws such as DES or RC4.
  • Expired SSL/TLS CertificateFailing to renew a digital credential prior to its validity end date, causing clients to reject encrypted handshakes.
  • Unsalted Password HashStoring password digests without unique random data, rendering them susceptible to precomputed rainbow table attacks.

Answer

Hardcoded Cryptographic Key matches embedding secret symmetric keys directly within application code; Deprecated/Weak Cipher Suite matches utilizing legacy algorithms with short key lengths or known structural flaws; Expired SSL/TLS Certificate matches failing to renew a digital credential prior to its validity end date; Unsalted Password Hash matches storing password digests without unique random data.
Each security control weakness aligns with its fundamental technical definition. Hardcoding keys puts secrets in binaries; legacy cipher suites rely on flawed algorithms like DES/RC4; expired certificates break the validity lifecycle in PKI; and unsalted hashes expose stored credentials to precomputed rainbow table lookups.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze 'Hardcoded Cryptographic Key'
Identify that embedding key material inside software code allows attackers who disassemble the software to retrieve the secret key.
Matches the description of embedding secret keys directly within application code or compiled binaries.
2
Analyze 'Deprecated/Weak Cipher Suite'
Identify that older algorithms such as DES or RC4 do not meet modern security baseline requirements.
Matches utilizing legacy algorithms with short key lengths or known structural flaws.
3
Analyze 'Expired SSL/TLS Certificate'
Recognize that digital certificates require active validity windows for trust verification.
Matches failing to renew a digital credential prior to its validity end date.
4
Analyze 'Unsalted Password Hash'
Recall that cryptographic salts add unique randomness to prevent hash collisions across identical passwords.
Matches storing password digests without unique random data.

Key Concept

Cryptographic and Security Control Weaknesses
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