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WGU Introduction to Cryptography (D830) Exam - Topic 2 Question 9 Discussion

Posted by Annice on Jul 02, 2026 at 10:31 AM

(Employee A needs to send Employee B a symmetric key for confidential communication. Which key is used to encrypt the symmetric key?)

Suggested Answer: B

When securely distributing a symmetric key over an untrusted network, a common approach is hybrid cryptography: use asymmetric cryptography to protect the symmetric key, then use the symmetric key for bulk encryption. To ensure only Employee B can recover the symmetric key, Employee A encrypts (wraps) that symmetric key using Employee B's public key. Because only Employee B should possess the matching private key, only B can decrypt the wrapped symmetric key. This is the same principle used in TLS key exchange (in older RSA key transport) and in secure email: encrypt the session key to the recipient's public key. Encrypting the symmetric key with Employee A's private key would not provide confidentiality---anyone with A's public key could reverse it, and it functions more like a signature than encryption. Employee B's private key should never be shared and is used only by B to decrypt. Therefore, for confidentiality of the shared symmetric key, the correct encryption key is Employee B's public key.


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21 comments · newest first
KA
Kanisha 2 days ago
Definitely B. Only way to ensure confidentiality.
TI
Timothy 7 days ago
I feel confident about this question. Public key is key!
JA
Janna 12 days ago
Agreed! Public key encrypts the symmetric key for safety.
SH
Shelia 17 days ago
I think it's B) Employee B's public key. Makes sense for secure transfer.
PR
Princess 23 days ago
Exactly! It's all about maintaining security in communication.
SO
Solange 28 days ago
Right! Using the public key keeps it confidential.
RI
Ricarda 1 month ago
I feel confident about this. Public keys are essential for secure sharing.
MA
Marnie 1 month ago
Definitely B. It ensures only Employee B can decrypt it.
LI
Lizbeth 1 month ago
That wouldn't work for sending the symmetric key securely.
SO
Solange 2 months ago
But what if Employee A uses their private key instead?
PR
Princess 2 months ago
Agreed! Public key encryption is the way to go.
LI
Lizbeth 2 months ago
I think it's B) Employee B's public key.
AD
Adria 2 months ago
I agree with B, seems like the right choice!
KA
Kayleigh 2 months ago
Wait, can you really use public keys like that?
AU
Audry 2 months ago
B is correct! Public keys are used for this.
NA
Nathalie 3 months ago
I thought it was A) Employee A's private key?
SH
Shawnda 3 months ago
It's definitely B) Employee B's public key.
AL
Aliza 3 months ago
I might be overthinking it, but could it be Employee A's private key? I need to double-check my notes on key exchanges.
MA
Mammie 3 months ago
This question feels familiar; I practiced one where a sender used a recipient's public key to send a secret message.
RU
Ruth 3 months ago
I'm not entirely sure, but I remember something about using public keys for encryption in asymmetric systems.
AS
Ashlyn 4 months ago
I think it's Employee B's public key since we need to encrypt the symmetric key for secure transmission.
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