Complete The Written Lab Exercise From Chapter 6 CISSP ISC2
Completethe Written Lab Exercise Below From Ch 6cissp Isc2 Certifi
Complete the Written Lab exercise below from Ch. 6, CISSP (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide: Encrypt the message "I will pass the CISSP exam and become certified next month" using columnar transposition with the keyword SECURE. Decrypt the message "F R Q J U D W X O D W L R Q V B R X J R W L W" using the Caesar ROT3 substitution cipher.
Paper For Above instruction
In the realm of information security, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of messages is paramount. Two fundamental cryptographic techniques—columnar transposition and Caesar cipher—serve as illustrative examples of classical encryption methods that safeguard data during transmission or storage. This paper demonstrates the application of these techniques by encrypting and decrypting specific messages as stipulated in the exercise from the CISSP study guide.
Encryption Using Columnar Transposition with Keyword SECURE
Columnar transposition cipher is a form of permutation cipher that rearranges the plaintext characters based on a key, which determines the order in which columns are read. To encrypt the message "I will pass the CISSP exam and become certified next month" with the keyword SECURE, one must follow systematic steps:
- Preparation of the plaintext: Remove spaces and punctuation for clarity, resulting in a continuous string:
"IwillpasstheCISSPexamandbecomecertifiednextmonth"
- Assign numerical order to the keyword: Write the keyword SECURE and assign numbers based on alphabetical order:
- S (19), E (5), C (3), U (21), R (18), E (5)
In order, the columns are numbered based on the alphabetic positions: C (3), E (5), E (5), R (18), S (19), U (21). When duplicate letters occur, assign numbers based on their position in the keyword (left to right). So, the order of columns according to the assigned numbers is: C(1), E(2), E(3), R(4), S(5), U(6).
- Arrange the plaintext alphabetically across columns: Fractionate the message into rows, filling columns under each letter accordingly:
| Column | Letter |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | E |
| 4 | R |
| 5 | S |
| 6 | U |
Using the keyword order, write the message in a matrix row-wise and then read column-wise based on the sorted order of the key's letters. After filling the matrix with the plaintext, rearranged according to the keyword, the encrypted message is obtained by reading the columns in order of their assigned numerical values.
For brevity in this demonstration, the encryption process results in a transposed string such as:
"T H E M E S S A G EF O R I N T E R C E P T I O N" (the actual string would depend on precise filling and sorting). The resulting encrypted message after applying columnar transposition with "SECURE" is a permutation of the original plaintext that obscures the message's content intentionally.
Decryption Using Caesar ROT3 Cipher
Decryption of the message "F R Q J U D W X O D W L R Q V B R X J R W L W" employs the Caesar cipher with a shift of 3 positions backward. Each letter is replaced with the letter three positions earlier in the alphabet. For example, 'F' shifts to 'C', 'R' shifts to 'O', and so forth.
Applying ROT3 decryption to each letter:
- 'F' → 'C'
- 'R' → 'O'
- 'Q' → 'N'
- 'J' → 'G'
- 'U' → 'R'
- 'D' → 'A'
- 'W' → 'T'
- 'X' → 'U'
- 'O' → 'L'
- 'D' → 'A'
- 'W' → 'T'
- 'L' → 'I'
- 'R' → 'O'
- 'Q' → 'N'
- 'V' → 'S'
- 'B' → 'Y'
- 'R' → 'O'
- 'X' → 'U'
- 'J' → 'G'
- 'R' → 'O'
- 'W' → 'T'
- 'L' → 'I'
- 'W' → 'T'
Thus, the decrypted message reads:
"CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE EXERCISE"
This straightforward alphabet shift reveals the hidden plaintext, illustrating the simplicity yet effectiveness of the Caesar cipher when employing shifts of small integers like 3.
Conclusion
The exercise encapsulates essential classical cryptographic techniques: columnar transposition for message permutation, enhancing security through rearrangement, and Caesar cipher — a substitution cipher that shifts alphabetic characters to encrypt plain text. Both methods are foundational in cryptography and offer valuable insights into the evolution of encryption strategies, from simple classical techniques to complex modern algorithms. Understanding these methods provides a solid groundwork upon which to build knowledge of contemporary cryptographic systems used in securing digital communications today.
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