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System Administration
SSL/TLS & PKI.
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Beginner 4
01

What is SSL/TLS and what problem does it solve?

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SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are cryptographic protocols that provide secure communication over computer networks. TLS is the successor to SSL, with TLS 1.0 being equivalent to SSL 3.1.

These protocols solve three main security problems:

  • Confidentiality: Data is encrypted so only intended recipients can read it
  • Integrity: Data cannot be modified in transit without detection
  • Authentication: Verification of server (and optionally client) identity

TLS operates between the application layer and transport layer, securing protocols like HTTP (creating HTTPS), SMTP, FTP, and others.

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02

Explain the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption in the context of TLS.

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Symmetric Encryption:

  • Uses the same key for encryption and decryption
  • Fast and efficient for large amounts of data
  • Problem: How to securely share the key?

Asymmetric Encryption:

  • Uses a pair of keys: public key (shareable) and private key (secret)
  • Slower than symmetric encryption
  • Solves the key distribution problem

TLS Usage:
TLS uses both methods in a hybrid approach:

  1. Asymmetric encryption during handshake to securely exchange symmetric keys
  2. Symmetric encryption for actual data transmission (faster for bulk data)

Example: RSA or ECDH for key exchange, AES for data encryption.

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03

What is PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and what are its main components?

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PKI is a framework that manages digital keys and certificates for secure communication. It provides the infrastructure needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates.

Main Components:

  1. Certificate Authority (CA): Issues and manages certificates
  2. Registration Authority (RA): Verifies certificate requests before CA signs them
  3. Digital Certificates: Bind public keys to identities
  4. Certificate Repository: Stores and distributes certificates
  5. Certificate Revocation List (CRL): Lists revoked certificates
  6. Key Management: Handles key generation, storage, and lifecycle

PKI enables trust relationships between parties who have never met by establishing a chain of trust through trusted CAs.

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04

What information is contained in an X.509 certificate?

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Intermediate 10
05

Walk me through the TLS handshake process.

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06

How do you verify a certificate chain?

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07

What are cipher suites and how do you interpret them?

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08

What is Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) and why is it important?

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09

What is OCSP and how does it differ from CRL?

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10

How would you troubleshoot SSL/TLS connection issues?

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11

What is SNI (Server Name Indication) and why is it needed?

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12

Explain the concept of Certificate Transparency and its purpose.

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13

How do you configure secure cipher suites and what are current best practices?

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14

What is mutual TLS (mTLS) and when would you use it?

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Expert 8
15

What are the security differences between TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3?

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16

Explain certificate pinning and its security implications.

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17

How do you implement SSL/TLS termination and what are the considerations?

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18

What are the common SSL/TLS vulnerabilities and how do you mitigate them?

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19

How do you manage certificate lifecycle in an enterprise environment?

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20

What is DANE (DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities) and how does it work?

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21

How do you handle SSL/TLS in containerized environments?

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22

Describe the security implications of SSL/TLS session resumption.

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