Chapter 1

Cryptographic Tools and Techniques

The Following CompTIA CASP Exam Objectives Are Covered in This Chapter:

• 1.1 Distinguish which cryptographic tools and techniques are appropriate for a given situation.
  • Cryptographic applications and proper implementation
  • Advanced PKI concepts
• Wildcard
• OCSP vs. CRL
• Issuance to entities
• Users
• Systems
• Applications
• Implications of cryptographic methods and design
• Strength vs. performance vs. feasibility to implement vs. interoperability
• Transport encryption
• Digital signature
• Hashing
• Code signing
• Non-repudiation
• Entropy
• Pseudorandom number generation
• Perfect forward secrecy
• Confusion
• Diffusion

This chapter discusses cryptography. Cryptography can be defined as the art of protecting information by transforming it into an unreadable format. Everywhere you turn you see cryptography. It is used to protect sensitive information, prove the identity of a claimant, and verify the integrity of an application or program. As a security professional for your company, which of the following would you consider more critical if you could choose only one?