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EC-Council

312-50V12 · Question #321

Harper, a software engineer, is developing an email application. To ensure the confidentiality of email messages, Harper uses a symmetric-key block cipher having a classical 12- or 16-round Feistel ne

The correct answer is A. CAST-128. The question describes a symmetric-key block cipher with a 64-bit block size, a Feistel network, 8x32-bit S-boxes based on bent functions, and specific key-dependent operations, which precisely characterizes the CAST-128 algorithm.

Submitted by lars.no· Mar 4, 2026Cryptography

Question

Harper, a software engineer, is developing an email application. To ensure the confidentiality of email messages, Harper uses a symmetric-key block cipher having a classical 12- or 16-round Feistel network with a block size of 64 bits for encryption, which includes large 8 ?32-bit S-boxes (S1, S2, S3, S4) based on bent functions, modular addition and subtraction, key-dependent rotation, and XOR operations. This cipher also uses a masking key (Km1) and a rotation key (Kr1) for performing its functions. What is the algorithm employed by Harper to secure the email messages?

Options

  • ACAST-128
  • BAES
  • CGOST block cipher
  • DDES

How the community answered

(60 responses)
  • A
    87% (52)
  • B
    8% (5)
  • C
    3% (2)
  • D
    2% (1)

Why each option

The question describes a symmetric-key block cipher with a 64-bit block size, a Feistel network, 8x32-bit S-boxes based on bent functions, and specific key-dependent operations, which precisely characterizes the CAST-128 algorithm.

ACAST-128Correct

CAST-128 is a symmetric-key block cipher that employs a 12- or 16-round Feistel network with a 64-bit block size. Its design incorporates large 8x32-bit S-boxes derived from bent functions, along with modular addition/subtraction, key-dependent rotation, and XOR operations, utilizing both masking (Km1) and rotation (Kr1) keys in its round function, matching all details provided in the question.

BAES

AES uses a 128-bit block size and is a substitution-permutation network, not a Feistel cipher, which fundamentally contradicts the description of the algorithm.

CGOST block cipher

While GOST block cipher uses a 64-bit block size and a Feistel network, it uses 4x4-bit S-boxes, not the 8x32-bit S-boxes based on bent functions described in the question.

DDES

DES uses a 64-bit block size and a Feistel network, but it employs 6x4-bit S-boxes and does not feature the specific 8x32-bit S-boxes based on bent functions or the explicit masking and rotation keys (Km1, Kr1) as described.

Concept tested: Cryptographic algorithm identification (CAST-128 characteristics)

Source: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2144

Topics

#symmetric encryption#block cipher#CAST-128#Feistel network

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