Section A
Section A contains short questions that test basic concepts of cryptography, network security, and number theory. Students need to write brief definitions, explain security attacks, and perform simple cryptographic calculations.
Example Questions from Section A:
What are security attacks? Explain types.
Explain symmetric and asymmetric cryptography.
What is replay attack?
Define steganography.
What is Triple DES?
State Fermat’s theorem.
Define finite field GF(p).
Differentiate substitution and transposition cipher.
Find GCD using Euclid’s algorithm.
Find Euler’s totient function value.
Section B
Section B contains medium-length questions that require explanations of cryptographic algorithms, mathematical concepts, and security techniques. Students must solve numerical problems and explain encryption methods.
Example Questions from Section B:
Explain Group, Ring, and Field.
Discuss S-Box design in AES and DES.
Explain Linear Congruential Generator.
Solve problems using Chinese Remainder Theorem.
Explain Message Authentication Code (MAC).
Describe RSA algorithm with example.
Explain MD5 Message Digest Algorithm.
Explain public key cryptosystem.
Discuss random number generation methods.
Section C
Section C contains long and advanced questions that require detailed explanations of network security protocols, authentication systems, and cryptographic applications. Students must discuss real-world security mechanisms.
Example Questions from Section C:
Explain digital certificates and X.509 format.
Discuss Kerberos authentication system.
Explain firewall and its types.
Describe SSL protocol.
Explain S/MIME security protocol.
Discuss certificate revocation methods.
