TLS-RSA-WITH-NULL-SHA Cipher Suite

Key Exchange Mechanism

Rivest, Shamir, Adleman - RSA

Grade - B

RSA key exchange does not provide perfect forward secrecy because if an attacker captures the RSA private key, they can decrypt all past communications encrypted with the corresponding public key. This is due to the static nature of the key pairs used in RSA, which contrasts with protocols like Diffie-Hellman, where ephemeral keys ensure that past sessions remain secure even if current keys are compromised.

Authentication

Rivest, Shamir, Adleman - RSA

Grade - A

RSA as an authentication mechanism in cipher suites is secure because it relies on the difficulty of factoring large prime numbers. This makes it computationally infeasible for attackers to derive the private key from the public key, ensuring confidentiality and integrity in secure communications.

Cipher

Null Cipher - NULL

Grade - F

Null encryption ciphers are bad because they provide no encryption, leaving data transmitted over the network completely unprotected. This means that any information sent, such as passwords, personal details, or confidential messages, can be easily intercepted and read by anyone with access to the network traffic. Without encryption, the confidentiality and integrity of the data are compromised, making it highly vulnerable to eavesdropping, tampering, and unauthorized access. In essence, using Null encryption defeats the primary purpose of secure communication protocols, which is to safeguard data from potential threats.

Hash

Null Hash - NULL

Grade - F

Null hashes are bad in cipher suites because they provide no integrity protection, making the communication vulnerable to undetected tampering or data corruption. This compromises the security by allowing potential attackers to alter messages without detection, undermining the confidentiality and trustworthiness of the communication.Null hashes are bad because they provide no integrity checks, leaving data transmitted over the network completely unprotected. This means that any information sent, such as passwords, personal details, or confidential messages, can be easily intercepted and read by anyone with access to the network traffic. Without encryption, the confidentiality and integrity of the data are compromised, making it highly vulnerable to eavesdropping, tampering, and unauthorized access. In essence, using Null encryption defeats the primary purpose of secure communication protocols, which is to safeguard data from potential threats.