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Difficulty: EasyCryptographic and Security Control Weaknesses

A security analyst is investigating severe performance slowdowns on a server transferring large archive files across the network. The investigation reveals that the file transfer service uses RSA asymmetric encryption to encrypt the full content of every file being transmitted, rather than using it solely to negotiate a symmetric session key. Which of the following describes the fundamental cryptographic weakness causing this performance issue?

  1. Improper selection of asymmetric encryption for bulk data transport instead of symmetric algorithmsAnswer
  2. B
    Creating a Certificate Signing Request prior to generating the private key pair during initialization
  3. C
    Relying on network perimeter firewalls to perform deep packet inspection on internal server traffic
  4. D
    Applying a corrective security control where a compensating administrative control was required

Answer

Improper selection of asymmetric encryption for bulk data transport instead of symmetric algorithms
Asymmetric encryption algorithms (such as RSA) require complex mathematical calculations that consume heavy processing power, making them inefficient for encrypting large amounts of data. Standard security architecture uses hybrid encryption, where asymmetric cryptography safely exchanges a symmetric session key, and a fast symmetric cipher (such as AES) encrypts the bulk file payload.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the operational impact and technical cause described in the scenario
The server experiences heavy CPU load due to encrypting large file payloads with RSA asymmetric encryption.
Asymmetric encryption relies on computationally intensive modular exponentiation.
2
Compare cryptographic algorithm use cases
Symmetric encryption algorithms (e.g., AES) are designed for high-speed bulk data protection, whereas asymmetric algorithms (e.g., RSA) are intended for key exchange, digital signatures, and small payloads.
Hybrid cryptosystems use asymmetric encryption only to exchange a symmetric key, which then encrypts the bulk data.
3
Select the option that correctly identifies the cryptographic weakness
Using asymmetric algorithms directly for bulk data encryption is the root cause of performance degradation.
Correct alignment of algorithm type to payload size is essential for system efficiency and security.

Key Concept

Asymmetric vs. Symmetric Encryption Application in Hybrid Cryptosystems
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Topics

Cryptographic and Security Control Weaknesses

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