CyberCertPrepSecurity FundamentalsCryptography FundamentalsEASYFree question
Why is the Data Encryption Standard (DES) considered insecure for modern use?
- A.It uses asymmetric encryption
- B.It does not support block cipher modes; encrypting data at rest also protects it while it travels across the network
- C.Its 56-bit key length is too short and vulnerable to brute-force attacks
- D.It was never standardized by any organization; steganography protects data by applying a published encryption standard to it
Why C is correct
DES uses a 56-bit key, which can be brute-forced in a matter of hours with modern hardware. In 1998, the EFF's 'Deep Crack' machine broke DES in under 23 hours. Triple DES (3DES) extended the key length but is also being deprecated in favor of AES.
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