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PGTRB Computer Science - Latest Study Materials-2025 – D. Sundaravel M.Sc.B.Ed(CS) -9751894315

DAY 24

Data Encryption Standard (DES) & The Strength of DES

1. What is the full form of DES in cryptography?

a) Data Encryption Standard
b) Data Encoding Standard
c) Data Encryption Scheme
d) Data Encoding Scheme
Answer: a
Explanation: DES stands for Data Encryption Standard, which was a widely used symmetric-key
algorithm for data encryption.
2. Which encryption technique does DES employ?
a) Asymmetric encryption
b) Symmetric encryption
c) Public-key encryption
d) Hash encryption
Answer: b
Explanation: DES uses symmetric encryption, where the same key is used for both encryption and
decryption.
3. What is the key size used in DES?
a) 56 bits b) 128 bits c) 64 bits d) 512 bits
Answer: a
Explanation: DES uses a 56-bit key for encryption.
4. How many rounds of transformation does DES perform during encryption?
a) 8 rounds
b) 16 rounds
c) 32 rounds
d) 64 rounds
Answer: b
Explanation: DES performs 16 rounds of encryption where each round involves a substitution and
permutation operation.
5. What is the block size in DES encryption?
a) 64 bits
b) 128 bits
c) 32 bits
d) 256 bits
Answer: a
Explanation: DES encrypts data in 64-bit blocks.
6. In the context of DES, what is meant by a "round" during the encryption process?
a) A basic function of generating the key
b) A sequence of substitution and permutation operations applied to the data
c) A step to remove noise from data
d) A process of verifying the integrity of the data
Answer: b
Explanation: A "round" in DES refers to a sequence of substitution and permutation operations that
transform the data in each of the 16 rounds.
7. Which of the following is the main operation used in each round of DES encryption?
a) Bitwise XOR b) Addition c) Division d) Modulo
Answer: a
Explanation: DES encryption relies on the XOR (exclusive OR) operation as a main operation in
each round.

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8. What type of cipher is DES classified as?
a) Substitution cipher
b) Stream cipher
c) Block cipher
d) Transposition cipher
Answer: c
Explanation: DES is classified as a block cipher because it encrypts data in fixed-size blocks (64-bit
blocks).
9. Why is the key length of 56 bits considered a weakness of DES?
a) It is too long to compute efficiently
b) It is vulnerable to brute-force attacks due to the limited number of possible keys
c) It allows too many combinations for decryption
d) It is not compatible with modern computing systems
Answer: b
Explanation: A 56-bit key has only 2^56 possible combinations, which makes it susceptible to
brute-force attacks, especially with modern computing power.
10. What is the function of the "Feistel network" in DES?
a) It determines the length of the encryption key
b) It splits the data into two halves for each round of encryption
c) It converts the plaintext into ciphertext directly
d) It removes redundancy from the data
Answer: b
Explanation: The Feistel network splits the data into two halves and then processes them in each
round of DES encryption.
11. What is the primary reason DES was considered insecure in the 21st century?
a) It uses weak algorithms for substitution
b) It relies on a fixed key length of 56 bits
c) It is too slow for modern processors
d) It does not support symmetric encryption
Answer: b
Explanation: The key length of 56 bits in DES is too short, making it vulnerable to brute-force
attacks as computing power increased.
12. Which of the following is an improvement over DES for more security?
a) Triple DES (3DES)
b) AES
c) RSA
d) Both a and b
Answer: d
Explanation: Triple DES (3DES) and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) are both more secure
alternatives to DES.
13. What is the main advantage of Triple DES over standard DES?
a) It uses a 128-bit key
b) It performs three rounds of encryption with different keys
c) It uses asymmetric encryption
d) It is more efficient for small data
Answer: b
Explanation: Triple DES applies DES encryption three times using different keys, which
strengthens security compared to the single round in DES.
14. Which algorithm succeeded DES as the federal encryption standard in the United States?
a) RSA b) AES c) DES3 d) Blowfish
Answer: b
Explanation: AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) succeeded DES as the encryption standard after
DES was considered insecure due to its short key length.

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15. What does the term "key schedule" refer to in DES?
a) The process of generating the encryption key
b) The process of selecting an encryption algorithm
c) The process of deriving subkeys from the main key for each round
d) The time it takes to encrypt the data
Answer: c
Explanation: The key schedule in DES refers to the process of deriving 16 subkeys from the
original 56-bit key, one for each round of the encryption process.
16. In DES, which transformation is applied after each round to the data?
a) Permutation
b) Substitution
c) Division
d) Multiplication
Answer: a
Explanation: After each round, DES applies a permutation operation to the data to further mix and
obscure the data.
17. What is the role of the initial permutation (IP) in DES?
a) It is used to encrypt the plaintext directly
b) It rearranges the bits of the data before encryption
c) It ensures that the key is kept secret
d) It eliminates the need for an encryption key
Answer: b
Explanation: The initial permutation (IP) is used to rearrange the bits of the data before the actual
encryption process begins.
18. Which of the following best describes the strength of DES against brute-force attacks?
a) Stronger due to larger key size
b) Weak because of the short key length (56 bits)
c) Moderate strength due to multiple rounds
d) Unaffected by brute-force attacks
Answer: b
Explanation: The 56-bit key length in DES makes it vulnerable to brute-force attacks, especially
with the advancement in computing power.
19. What does "data dependency" mean in the context of DES encryption?
a) The encryption key must be independent of the data
b) The encrypted output does not depend on the input data
c) The encrypted output depends on the input data
d) The key schedule is generated from the data itself
Answer: c
Explanation: In DES, the encryption process is data-dependent, meaning the output (ciphertext)
depends on the input data (plaintext) and the key.
20. What is the role of the S-box in DES?
a) It is used for key generation
b) It substitutes the data using a non-linear transformation
c) It splits the data into blocks
d) It generates the subkeys
Answer: b
Explanation: The S-box in DES performs substitution, replacing input bits with corresponding
output bits based on a fixed transformation.
21. Which of the following is NOT a component of the DES algorithm?
a) Substitution b) Permutation C) Diffusion d) Random number generation
Answer: d
Explanation: DES does not use random number generation; it relies on fixed, predefined
transformations and key schedules.

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22. What is the main drawback of the DES key size?
a) It is difficult to implement
b) It leads to slower encryption
c) It is too small, making it vulnerable to brute-force attacks
d) It increases the size of the ciphertext
Answer: c
Explanation: The 56-bit key size is too small, and modern computing power makes it easy to break
DES by trying all possible keys in a brute-force attack.
23. Which of the following attacks can break DES encryption?
a) Brute-force attack
b) Birthday attack
c) Known-plaintext attack
d) Both a and c
Answer: d
Explanation: A brute-force attack can easily break DES due to its short key length. A known-
plaintext attack can also be effective in some cases.
24. How many possible keys does DES have due to its 56-bit key length?
a) 2^56
b) 2^64
c) 2^128
d) 2^32
Answer: a
Explanation: With a 56-bit key, DES has 2^56 possible keys.
25. What is the primary weakness of DES in terms of security?
a) It does not support multiple key sizes
b) It is susceptible to brute-force attacks due to its short key length
c) It has a low computational cost
d) It is too fast to be secure
Answer: b
Explanation: The main weakness of DES is its 56-bit key size, which makes it vulnerable to brute-
force attacks.
26. Which of the following is a primary reason for the decline in the use of DES?
a) The algorithm is outdated and slow
b) The key length is too short for modern security needs
c) DES is not supported by modern hardware
d) The algorithm has no known weaknesses
Answer: b
Explanation: The short 56-bit key length of DES is no longer sufficient to provide strong security
against modern attacks.
27. Which cryptographic technique is used in place of DES for higher security?
a) Triple DES (3DES)
b) RSA
c) AES
d) All of the above
Answer: d
Explanation: Triple DES (3DES), RSA, and AES all offer stronger alternatives to DES.
28. What is the result of an insecure DES implementation?
a) Key exchange failures
b) Vulnerability to data leaks
c) Easier brute-force attacks
d) All of the above
Answer: d
Explanation: An insecure implementation of DES may lead to key exchange failures, data leaks,
and increased vulnerability to brute-force attacks.
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29. What was the main reason for the development of AES to replace DES?
a) DES was too slow
b) DES was broken by cryptanalysts
c) DES had a small key size that could not withstand modern computational power
d) AES provided faster processing speed
Answer: c
Explanation: AES was developed as a replacement because DES's key size was too small and easily
broken by modern computational power.
30. What does the term "brute-force attack" refer to in the context of DES?
a) A method to calculate the key using mathematical algorithms
b) A method to guess the encryption key by trying all possible keys
c) A method to modify the encrypted data
d) A method to prevent unauthorized access to the key
Answer: b
Explanation: A brute-force attack involves trying all possible keys until the correct one is found.

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