CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501) — Question 659

Which of the following is an algorithm family that was developed for use cases in which power consumption and lower computing power are constraints?

Answer options

• A. Elliptic curve
• B. RSA
• C. Diffie-Hellman
• D. SHA

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Elliptic curve, as it is specifically designed to provide strong security with smaller keys, making it suitable for environments with power and computing limitations. RSA and Diffie-Hellman require larger key sizes for the same level of security, leading to higher power consumption and processing needs. SHA is a hashing algorithm and not an encryption algorithm, so it doesn't fit the context of power and computational constraints in the same way.