encryption & PKI

AES

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) - Modern symmetric encryption algorithm and the current encryption standard. Recommended replacement for DES. (Think: Current encryption standard.)

DES

Data Encryption Standard (DES) - Outdated symmetric encryption algorithm that is no longer considered secure. (Think: Old and broken.)

3DES

Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) - Applies DES three times for increased security, but is now deprecated in favor of AES. (Think: Better than DES, worse than AES.)

RSA

Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) - Public-key cryptography algorithm used for encryption, digital signatures, and secure key exchange. (Think: Most common public-key algorithm.)

ECC

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) - Public-key cryptography that provides strong security using much smaller keys than RSA. Ideal for mobile devices and IoT. (Think: Small keys, high security.)

RC4

Rivest Cipher 4 (RC4) - Legacy stream cipher that is no longer considered secure due to numerous vulnerabilities. (Think: Deprecated.)

ChaCha20

ChaCha20 - Modern stream cipher designed for high performance and security, especially on mobile and embedded devices. (Think: Modern alternative to AES in some applications.)

SHA

Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) - Family of cryptographic hash functions used to verify data integrity. (Think: Hashing, not encryption.)

HMAC

Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) - Uses a secret key with a hash function to verify both integrity and authenticity. (Think: Hash + Secret Key.)

DHE

Diffie-Hellman Ephemeral (DHE) - Temporary key exchange protocol that generates a new key for every session, providing Perfect Forward Secrecy. (Think: Temporary session keys.)

ECDHE

Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman Ephemeral (ECDHE) - ECC version of DHE that provides Perfect Forward Secrecy with smaller, faster keys. (Think: DHE + ECC.)

PFS

Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) - Security property ensuring that compromising one session key does not compromise previous or future sessions. (Think: Old sessions stay safe.)

PKI

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) - Framework that creates, manages, distributes, stores, and revokes digital certificates and public/private keys. (Think: Entire certificate ecosystem.)

CA

Certificate Authority (CA) - Trusted organization that issues and signs digital certificates. (Think: Issues certificates.)

CSR

Certificate Signing Request (CSR) - Request sent to a Certificate Authority asking for a signed digital certificate. (Think: Asking for a certificate.)

CRL

Certificate Revocation List (CRL) - List of digital certificates that are no longer trusted before they expire. (Think: Revoked certificates.)

OCSP

Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) - Checks whether a certificate is currently valid without downloading an entire CRL. (Think: Live certificate checker.)

PKCS

Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) - Standards defining formats for cryptographic keys, certificates, and encryption methods. (Think: PKI standards.)

TPM

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) - Hardware chip that securely stores encryption keys and supports features like BitLocker. (Think: Security chip inside the computer.)

HSM

Hardware Security Module (HSM) - Dedicated hardware appliance that securely generates, stores, and manages cryptographic keys. (Think: Enterprise key vault.)

RA

Recovery Agent (RA) - Trusted entity authorized to recover encrypted data or encryption keys if access is lost. (Think: Backup access to encrypted data.)

Key Escrow

Key Escrow - System that stores backup copies of encryption keys with a trusted third party for recovery purposes. (Think: Spare key storage.)

EFS

Encrypting File System (EFS) - Windows feature that encrypts individual files and folders on NTFS drives. (Think: File-level encryption.)

FDE

Full Disk Encryption (FDE) - Encrypts an entire storage device to protect all stored data. (Think: Whole drive encrypted.)

SED

Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) - Storage drive that automatically encrypts all data using built-in hardware encryption. (Think: Hardware-encrypted drive.)

PGP

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) - Encryption system used to secure emails and files using public-key cryptography. (Think: Secure email encryption.)

GPG

GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) - Free, open-source implementation of OpenPGP used for encrypting files and emails. (Think: Open-source PGP.)