100-160 Question 44
Single answerA financial organization wants to transmit sensitive customer data to an external partner securely. The data is transmitted over the internet and needs to be encrypted. Which encryption method and key management approach should they use to ensure strong security while maintaining efficient communication?
- A
Symmetric encryption with a shared pre-shared key
- B
Asymmetric encryption using the partner's public key to encrypt the data
- C
Hashing the data before transmission for secure delivery
- D
Using weak algorithms, such as DES, to ensure compatibility with older systems
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best approach for securing data transmission to an external partner is to use asymmetric encryption. By encrypting the data with the partner's public key, only the partner can decrypt it using their private key. This ensures confidentiality and eliminates the key distribution challenges of symmetric encryption. Hashing and weak algorithms like DES are inappropriate for this use case.
- A. Incorrect.
Symmetric encryption with a shared pre-shared key can be secure, but it has key distribution challenges when used between multiple external parties. It is not the best option for this scenario with external communication.
- B. Correct.
Asymmetric encryption using the partner's public key is ideal for securely encrypting data sent to an external partner. The partner can use their private key to decrypt the data, ensuring confidentiality.
- C. Incorrect.
Hashing is used for data integrity, not for encryption. It ensures the data has not been tampered with, but it does not provide confidentiality.
- D. Incorrect.
Using weak algorithms like DES is not recommended as they are outdated and vulnerable to attacks, making them unsuitable for transmitting sensitive data securely.