TCIL-IT Ethical Hacker

1. What is Cryptography?

Assignment No. 2

Ans. Cryptography has had an interesting history and has undergone many changes through the centuries. It seems that keeping secrets has been important throughout the ages of civilization for one reason or another. Keeping secrets gives individuals or groups the ability to hide true intentions, gain a competitive edge, and reduce vulnerability. The changes that cryptograph has undergone throughout history closely follow the advances in technology. Cryptography methods began with a person carving messages into wood or stone, which were then passed to the intended individual who had the necessary means to decipher the messages. This is a long way from how cryptography is being used today. Cryptography that used to be carved into materials is now being inserted into streams of binary code that passes over network wires, Internet communication paths, and airwaves. In the past, messengers were used as the transmission mechanism, and encryption helped protect the message in case the messenger was captured. Today, the transmission mechanism has changed from human beings to packets carrying 0s and 1s passing through network cables or open airwaves. The messages are still encrypted in case an intruder captures the transmission mechanism (the packets) as they travel along their paths.

Definition: Encryption is a method of transforming original data, called plaintext or clear text, into a form that appears to be random and unreadable, which is called cipher text. Plaintext is either in a form that can be understood by a person (a document) or by a computer (executable code). Once it is transformed into cipher text, neither human nor machine Can properly process it until it is decrypted. This enables the transmission of confidential information over insecure channels without unauthorized disclosure. When data is stored on a computer, it is usually protected by logical and physical access controls. When this same sensitive information is sent over a network, it can no longer take these controls for granted, and the information is in a much more vulnerable state.
Plaintext
Encryption Cipher text Decryption Plaintext

The process of encryption transforms plaintext into cipher text and the process of decryption transforms cipher text into plaintext.

A system that provides encryption and decryption is referred to as a cryptosystem and can be created through hardware components or program code in an application. The cryptosystem uses an encryption algorithm, which determines how simple or complex the process will be. Most algorithms are complex mathematical formulas that are applied in a specific sequence to the plaintext. Most encryption methods use a secret value called a key (usually a long string of bits), which works with the algorithm to encrypt and decrypt the text.

KEY

Algorithm

Result is applied to the plaintext message. Message Ciphertext

2. What is Public Key Cryptography? Ans. Public-key cryptography refers to a cryptographic system requiring two separate keys, one to lock or encrypt the plaintext, and one to unlock or decrypt the cyphertext. Neither key will do both functions. One of these keys is published or public and the other is kept private. If the lock/encryption key is the one published then the system enables private communication from the public to the unlocking key's owner. If the unlock/decryption key is the one published then the system serves as a signature verifier of documents locked by the owner of the private key. Although in this latter case, since encrypting the entire message is relatively expensive computationally, in practice just a hash of the message is encrypted for signature verification purposes.

Some Important things about Public Key Cryptography Key is some large number (string of bits) Key has two parts, one public, one private Public key is well-known Trusted agents verify the public key Private key is a secret forever Key is arbitrarily large Encrypt with receivers public key Decrypt with receivers private key

3. Close Look To RSA Algorithems? Ans. RSA is a public key cryptosystem developed by MIT professors Ronald, Shamir and Adleman in year 1977 for improving the internet security. It was very complex in nature uses modular arithmetic and elementary number theories to perform computations using two very large prime numbers. That is why used very widely in whole world. Key generation RSA involves a public key and a private key. The public key can be known to everyone and is used for encrypting messages. Messages encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted using the private key. Algorithem Security Review: The algorithms having 40-bit key are today is of no use. Algorithm having 56- bit key offer a bit privacy but are vulnerable. Algorithms having 64-bit key are safe but with the advancement in hacking will be vulnerable. 128 bit key is thing to replay almost unbreakable. Algorithm having 256-bit and above encryption are impossible to break

4. What id MD5 Hash? Ans. The MD5 hash also known as checksum for a file is a 128bit value, something like a fingerprint of the file. There is a very small possibility of getting two identical hashes of two different files. This feature can be useful both for comparing the files and their integrity control. Let us imagine a situation that will help to understand how the MD5 hash works. Alice and Bob have two similar huge files. How do we know that they are different without sending them to each other? We simply have to calculate the MD5 hashes of these files and compare them. MD5 Hash Properties: The MD5 hash consists of a small amount of binary data, typically no more than 128 bits. All hash values share the following properties:

Hash length The length of the hash value is determined by the type of the used algorithm, and its length does not depend on the size of the file. The most common hash value lengths are either 128 or 160 bits. Non-discoverability

Every pair of nonidentical files will translate into a completely different hash value, even if the two files differ only by a single bit. Using today's technology, it is not possible to discover a pair of files that translate to the same hash value. Repeatability Each time a particular file is hashed using the same algorithm, the exact same hash value will be produced. Irreversibility All hashing algorithms are one-way. Given a checksum value, it is infeasible to discover the password. In fact, none of the properties of the original message can be determined given the checksum value alone.

5. What is SSL? Ans. SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer, a global standard security technology developed by Netscape in 1994. SSL is all about encryption. It creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. The link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browser remains private and secure and isrecognised by millions of consumers by a secure padlock which appears in their browser.

The SSL protocol is used by millions of e-Business providers to protect their customers ensuring their online transactions remain confidential. In order to be able to use the SSL protocol, a web server requires the use of an SSL certificate. Certificates are provided by Certification Authorities (CA) who in most cases also offer additional products and services to aid e-Businesses to demonstrate that they are trustworthy. Consumers have grown to associate the 'golden padlock', that appears within their browser display, as an indication of trust in the web site. This simple fact allows e-Business providers an opportunity to leverage that increased trust level to turn visitors into paying customers - so long as you know which type to choose.

1. PGP Security? Ans. Each user has a key pair, consisting of a public key and a private key. The public key is available to anyone, but the private key you keep to yourself. You encrypt and sign messages and documents with your private key, and recipients use your public key to decrypt your messages and verify your signature. If someone wants to send you an encrypted message, they encode it with your public key, and you use your private key to decrypt it. You can register your public key on PGP key servers on the Internet, so anyone who needs to send you secure e-mail can search for and retrieve your public key. Alternatively, you can distribute your public key yourself. To use PGP, both sending and receiving parties must have some form of PGP software installed.

To create a key pair, you answer the simple questions asked by the Key Generation Wizard (see Figure 1) and choose a passphrase, which is a longer version of a password. The longer the key pair (choose from lengths of 768 to 4096 bits), the more secure the encryption, but the trade-off is that longer keys slow down processing. Once you have your key pair, you simply invoke the PGP tools as the need arises, and enter your passphrase where prompted. If you're sending an encrypted message, you select the recipient's public key from the PGP keyring on your computer - much like choosing an address from an address book. The PGP tools are accessible from the system tray or a floating toolbar (see Figure 2) or if you're using a supported e-mail program, directly on the toolbar. A welcome enhancement in version 6 is the ability to encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify documents directly within most applications without having to first copy and paste.

PGP isn't just for messages; you can use it to secure files on your computer as well. From version 6, you can also create PGP-encrypted volumes on your hard disk or removable media.

These behave just like a disk partition on which you can install applications, store sensitive data, perform file operations and so on. The difference is that the files on the PGP volume are encrypted, accessible only when you mount the volume with the correct passphrase. For further security, you can set PGP volumes to automatically unmount after set periods of inactivity.