GSEC · Question #206
SSL session keys are available in which of the following lengths?
The correct answer is A. 40-bit and 128-bit. SSL symmetric session keys are available in two standard lengths - 40-bit (export-grade) and 128-bit (full-strength domestic) - reflecting historical US export regulations on cryptography.
Question
SSL session keys are available in which of the following lengths?
Options
- A40-bit and 128-bit.
- B64-bit and 128-bit.
- C128-bit and 1,024-bit.
- D40-bit and 64-bit.
How the community answered
(59 responses)- A83% (49)
- B10% (6)
- C2% (1)
- D5% (3)
Why each option
SSL symmetric session keys are available in two standard lengths - 40-bit (export-grade) and 128-bit (full-strength domestic) - reflecting historical US export regulations on cryptography.
SSL/TLS historically used 40-bit symmetric session keys for export-compliant ciphers (required by US export law prior to 2000) and 128-bit keys for full-strength domestic encryption. These two lengths represent the practical range of SSL session key strengths used in real-world deployments.
64-bit is not a standard SSL session key length; SSL skipped from 40-bit export keys directly to 128-bit full-strength keys.
1,024-bit keys are associated with RSA asymmetric key exchange (used for authentication and key negotiation), not the symmetric session keys SSL uses for bulk data encryption.
While 40-bit is a valid SSL session key length, 64-bit is not a recognized SSL symmetric session key length.
Concept tested: SSL symmetric session key length standards
Source: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6101
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