Homework Week 4

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Truman State University *

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MISC

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Information Systems

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Oct 30, 2023

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Homework Week 4 Sullivan University Hamza Raja CSC635- Computer Security and Legal Issues Q.1 1. In symmetric encryption, the exchange of keys "out of band" is pivotal due to its critical role in maintaining the confidentiality of communication. Symmetric encryption employs a shared secret key for both encryption and decryption processes. However, distributing this key securely poses a challenge. Transmitting the key through the same communication channel being secured exposes it to interception and undermines the very security it seeks to establish. By exchanging keys "out of band," or through a separate secure channel, the risk of unauthorized access to the key is mitigated. This approach ensures that even if the primary communication channel is compromised, the exchanged key remains inaccessible to malicious actors, preserving the confidentiality of the encrypted data. 2. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) serves as a safeguard for valuable information assets through a comprehensive framework that employs asymmetric cryptography. PKI employs a pair of distinct yet mathematically linked keys—a public key and a private key. While the public key is openly distributed and used to encrypt data, only the private key, securely held by the intended recipient, can decrypt the encrypted content. PKI offers enhanced data confidentiality and integrity by allowing encrypted information to be accessible solely by authorized entities possessing the corresponding private key.

Moreover, PKI incorporates digital certificates to validate the legitimacy of the public keys, thwarting attempts at masquerading and ensuring the authenticity of communication partners. This intricate interplay of encryption, authentication, and validation underpins the robust protection of sensitive data across digital communication channels. 3. "Digital signature" and "digital certificate" are two distinct components within the realm of digital security. A digital signature is a cryptographic technique that serves as a virtual counterpart to a handwritten signature, signifying the authenticity and integrity of digital content. It is generated using the signer's private key and can be verified using the corresponding public key. On the other hand, a digital certificate, also known as a public key certificate, is a digital document issued by a trusted Certification Authority (CA) that links an individual's identity to their public key. This certificate attests to the legitimacy of the public key holder and is used to establish secure communication channels. In essence, a digital signature vouches for the origin and integrity of specific content, while a digital certificate validates the authenticity of a public key holder. Q.2 1. Netscape's Development of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocol: Netscape's creation of the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol was a pioneering effort to address the security challenges posed by transmitting sensitive information over the open and unsecured landscape of the early Internet. The SSL protocol utilized a combination of public-key and symmetric encryption to establish secure channels for communication.

Public-key encryption, exemplified by the RSA algorithm, played a pivotal role in secure key exchange and authentication. When a client connected to a server using SSL, both parties engaged in a handshake process. During this handshake, the server provided its public key to the client, which the client used to encrypt a pre-master secret. Only the server, with its corresponding private key, could decrypt this message and derive the shared secret. Subsequently, the client and server independently generated a session key based on the shared secret. This session key facilitated symmetric encryption of data during the rest of the session, ensuring confidentiality and integrity. Netscape's SSL protocol revolutionized online security, inspiring the subsequent development of Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols that continue to be fundamental to secure communication on the internet. 2. Hybrid Encryption System Based on Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange: The Diffie- Hellman Key Exchange method introduced an ingenious way to establish a shared secret key between two parties without the need to transmit the key directly. It operates on the principles of modular arithmetic and discrete logarithms. In this process, both parties generate their own public and private key pairs. The public keys are exchanged openly. Each party then uses its private key and the received public key to compute a shared secret value. This value is identical for both parties and serves as the foundation for the symmetric encryption key. The brilliance lies in the fact that deriving the shared secret from the public keys is computationally infeasible for eavesdroppers due to the complexity of the discrete logarithm problem. This shared secret, once derived, becomes the symmetric key for encrypting subsequent communication. The Diffie- Hellman Key Exchange method, therefore, unites the efficiency of symmetric encryption

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with the security of public-key cryptography, establishing a hybrid encryption system that underpins secure data transmission across various domains of modern cryptography.

References: IBM. (2023, April 4). Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Protocol. IBM HTTP Server Documentation. Retrieved from https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/ibm-http-server/9.0.5? topic=communications-secure-sockets-layer-ssl-protocol International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology. "Information Security using Cryptography and Steganography." ( https://doi.org/10.17577/IJERTCONV3IS28029 ) Pedamkar, P. (2023, April 3). Digital Signature vs Digital Certificate. EDUCBA. Retrieved from [ https://www.educba.com/digital-signature-vs-digital-certificate/ ] Techopedia. "What is Hybrid Encryption?" ( https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1779/hybrid-encryption )