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SSCP · Question #601

In what type of attack does an attacker try, from several encrypted messages, to figure out the key used in the encryption process?

The correct answer is B. Ciphertext-only attack. In a ciphertext-only attack, the attacker has the ciphertext of several messages encrypted with the same encryption algorithm. Its goal is to discover the plaintext of the messages by figuring out the key used in the encryption process. In a known-plaintext attack, the attacker…

Submitted by alyssa_d· Apr 18, 2026Cryptography

Question

In what type of attack does an attacker try, from several encrypted messages, to figure out the key used in the encryption process?

Options

  • AKnown-plaintext attack
  • BCiphertext-only attack
  • CChosen-Ciphertext attack
  • DPlaintext-only attack

How the community answered

(32 responses)
  • A
    6% (2)
  • B
    91% (29)
  • D
    3% (1)

Explanation

In a ciphertext-only attack, the attacker has the ciphertext of several messages encrypted with the same encryption algorithm. Its goal is to discover the plaintext of the messages by figuring out the key used in the encryption process. In a known-plaintext attack, the attacker has the plaintext and the ciphertext of one or more messages. In a chosen-ciphertext attack, the attacker can chose the ciphertext to be decrypted and has access to the resulting plaintext.

Topics

#Cryptography attacks#Ciphertext-only attack#Cryptanalysis

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