CRYPTOGRAPHY AND NETWORK SECURITY (PC) - IV Year B.Tech. CSE I -Sem (JNTUH-R18)

1. Compare and contrast active and passive network eavesdropping attacks. Provide real-world examples of each.

2. Explain the concept of a firewall and its differences from an intrusion detection system (IDS).

3. Describe a scenario where a one-time pad cipher could be used effectively. Is it practical for widespread use? Explain why.

4. What are the key considerations when choosing a random number generator for cryptographic purposes? Discuss potential consequences of non-randomness.

5. Explain the concept of steganography and its ethical implications. How can steganography be used for malicious purposes?

Unit II: Symmetric and Asymmetric Key Ciphers:

1. Describe the S-boxes and Feistel structure used in the DES algorithm. What are their roles in encryption and decryption?

2. Compare the block size and key size of AES and Blowfish algorithms. How do these factors affect their security and performance?

3. Explain how the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol overcomes the key distribution problem in public-key cryptography.

4. Describe the key generation process in the RSA algorithm and explain the importance of choosing large prime numbers.

5. What are the vulnerabilities of Elgamal encryption compared to RSA? Discuss potential mitigation techniques.

Unit III: Cryptographic Hash Functions and Key Management:

1. Explain the avalanche effect and birthday paradox in relation to secure hash functions like SHA-512.

2. Compare and contrast the security strengths of HMAC and CMAC. In which scenarios would you prefer one over the other?

3. Describe the ticket-granting process in the Kerberos authentication protocol and its role in preventing ticket replay attacks.

4. Explain the purpose of a certificate revocation list (CRL) in X.509 PKI and the challenges associated with its maintenance.

5. How can symmetric key distribution be achieved using asymmetric encryption with Diffie-Hellman key exchange? Explain the process.

Unit IV: Transport-level Security and Wireless Network Security:

1. Explain the handshake process in TLS and how it establishes a secure connection between a client and server.

2. Describe the different authentication methods supported by SSH (Secure Shell) and their security levels.

3. What are the key security vulnerabilities of WPA2 in wireless networks? Discuss potential mitigation strategies.

4. Explain the concept of mobile device management (MDM) and its importance in securing enterprise mobile devices.

5. Compare and contrast intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) based on their functionalities and deployment strategies.

Unit V: E-Mail Security and IP Security:

1. Describe the key generation and encryption process in PGP and explain how it protects email messages.

2. Compare and contrast the digital signature schemes used in PGP and S/MIME. How do they ensure message integrity and non-repudiation?

3. Explain the concepts of Authentication Header (AH) and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) in IPSec and their roles in securing network traffic.

4. Describe the different phases of the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol and its importance in establishing secure associations for IPSec.

5. Explain how site-to-site VPNs are established using IPSec and the benefits they offer for secure remote access.