| name | performing-cryptographic-audit-of-application |
| description | A cryptographic audit systematically reviews an application's use of cryptographic primitives, protocols, and key management to identify vulnerabilities such as weak algorithms, insecure modes, hardco. Use when working with performing cryptographic audit of application. |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | cryptography |
| tags | ["cryptography","audit","security-review","compliance","vulnerability-assessment"] |
| version | 1.0 |
| author | oyi77 |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| nist_csf | ["PR.DS-01","PR.DS-02","PR.DS-10"] |
Performing Cryptographic Audit of Application
Overview
A cryptographic audit systematically reviews an application's use of cryptographic primitives, protocols, and key management to identify vulnerabilities such as weak algorithms, insecure modes, hardcoded keys, insufficient entropy, and protocol misconfigurations. This skill covers building an automated crypto audit tool that scans Python and configuration files for common cryptographic weaknesses.
When to Use
Trigger phrases:
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"performing cryptographic audit of application"
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"A cryptographic audit systematically reviews an application's use of cryptograph"
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When conducting security assessments that involve performing cryptographic audit of application
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When following incident response procedures for related security events
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When performing scheduled security testing or auditing activities
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When validating security controls through hands-on testing
Prerequisites
- Familiarity with cryptography concepts and tools
- Access to a test or lab environment for safe execution
- Python 3.8+ with required dependencies installed
- Appropriate authorization for any testing activities
Objectives
- Detect usage of deprecated algorithms (MD5, SHA-1, DES, RC4)
- Identify insecure cipher modes (ECB) and padding schemes
- Find hardcoded keys, passwords, and secrets in source code
- Verify TLS/SSL configuration strength
- Check key derivation function parameters
- Validate random number generator usage
- Produce a structured audit report with findings and remediation
Key Concepts
This section covers key concepts for performing cryptographic audit of application.
- Ensure all prerequisites are met before proceeding
- Follow the documented workflow steps in sequence
- Record results and any anomalies encountered during this phase
Cryptographic Weakness Categories
| Category | Examples | Risk Level |
|---|
| Weak Hashing | MD5, SHA-1 for integrity/signatures | High |
| Insecure Encryption | DES, 3DES, RC4, Blowfish | High |
| Bad Cipher Mode | ECB mode for any block cipher |
