Which algorithm is a symmetric cipher?
- EI Gamai
Triple DES or 3DES is symmetric algorithm, which means they key used to encrypt is identical to the key used to decrypt. Triple DES is a later version of DES that performs three rounds of encryption. A 3DES takes longer due to the higher processing power required. Data Encryption Standard (DES) is also symmetric.
The other algorithms are all asymmetric. Asymmetric cryptography involves the use of different keys to encrypt and decrypt the data. These keys are referred to as private and public keys, respectively. The public encryption key is used to ensure only the intended recipient can decrypt the cipher text. These algorithms use two keys that do not match, but are mathematically related such that if encryption is performed using one, the other is used for decryption. Asymmetric algorithms include Diffie-Hellman, RSA, EIGamal, Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem (ECC), CAST, and Knapsack.
EIGamal is an asymmetric public key encryption algorithm based on the Diffie-Hellman key agreement. It is used for digital signatures, encryption of data, and key exchange.
Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman (RSA) is used as the worldwide de facto standard for digital signatures. RSA is a public key algorithm that provides both encryption and authentication.
Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem (ECC) serves as an alternative to the RSA algorithm and provides similar functionalities, but ECC has a higher strength per bit than RSA.
Sub-Objective: Describe the security impact of these commonly used encryption algorithms and secure communications protocols: DES, 3DES, AES, AES256-CTR, RSA, DSA, SSH, SSL/TLS