Cryptography Fundamentals Questions

Core cryptography concepts and how they apply to system and architecture design. Candidates should be able to explain symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption, cryptographic hash functions, message authentication codes, digital signatures, random number generation and entropy, and the security properties of confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. Coverage includes key lifecycle and operational practices such as secure key generation, secure storage, distribution, rotation, revocation, destruction, certificate management, and public key infrastructure. Discussion should address algorithm and key length selection trade offs, performance impacts, common implementation pitfalls for cryptographic components, side channel and padding related risks, and safe patterns for password storage and key derivation. Questions probe conceptual design, threat modeling for cryptographic components, and how to select and validate cryptographic approaches for real world systems without requiring code implementation.