SEC+ Encryption and Cryptography

Symmetric Algorithms

Algorithms that use a single key for both encryption and decryption.

DES

Data Encryption Standard that uses a 64-bit key (56 effective bits due to parity) and encrypts data in 64-bit blocks through 16 rounds of transposition and substitution.

Triple DES

Utilizes three 56-bit keys, encrypts data with the first key, decrypts with the second key, and encrypts again with the third key, providing 112-bit key strength.

IDEA

International Data Encryption Algorithm, a symmetric block cipher with a 64-bit block size and a 128-bit key, faster and more secure than DES.

AES

Advanced Encryption Standard that supports 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit keys and matching block sizes, widely adopted as the encryption standard for sensitive unclassified information.

Blowfish

A block cipher with key sizes ranging from 32 to 448 bits, developed as a DES replacement but not widely adopted.

Twofish

A block cipher supporting a 128-bit block size and key sizes of 128, 192, or 256 bits, open source and available for use.

Rivest Cipher

Includes RC4, RC5, and RC6; RC4 is a stream cipher with variable key sizes from 40 to 2048 bits, used in SSL and WEP.

Asymmetric Algorithms

Algorithms that use two separate keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.

Diffie-Hellman

An asymmetric algorithm used for secure key exchange.

RSA

An asymmetric algorithm used for secure data transmission.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography

An asymmetric algorithm that uses elliptic curves for encryption.

Hashing

Converts data into a fixed-size string (digest) using hash functions.

MD5

A widely used hashing algorithm that produces a 128-bit hash value.

SHA Family

A set of cryptographic hash functions designed by the National Security Agency.

RIPEMD

A family of cryptographic hash functions.

HMAC

Hash-based Message Authentication Code, a specific construction for creating a message authentication code based on a cryptographic hash function.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

Framework managing digital keys and certificates for secure data transfer.

Digital Certificates

Electronic credentials verifying entity identity for secure communications.

Blockchain

Decentralized, immutable ledger ensuring data integrity and transparency.

Encryption Tools

Includes TPM, HSM, Key Management Systems, and Secure Enclave.

Obfuscation

Techniques such as steganography, tokenization, and data masking used to conceal data.

Cryptographic Attacks

Includes downgrade attacks, collision attacks, and quantum computing threats.

Symmetric vs Asymmetric

Symmetric encryption uses a single key, while asymmetric encryption uses a public and private key pair.

Hybrid Approach

Combines both symmetric and asymmetric encryption for optimal benefits.

Stream Cipher

Encrypts data bit-by-bit or byte-by-byte in a continuous stream.

Block Cipher

Breaks input data into fixed-size blocks before encryption, usually 64, 128, or 256 bits at a time.

Block Ciphers

Encryption algorithms that process fixed-size blocks of data.

Public Key Cryptography

A cryptographic system that uses a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.

Confidentiality with Public Key

The process of encrypting data using the receiver's public key.

Non-Repudiation with Private Key

The process of encrypting data using the sender's private key to verify the sender's identity.

Integrity and Authentication with Digital Signature

Creating a hash digest of the message and encrypting it with the sender's private key.

Digital Signature

A hash digest of a message encrypted with the sender's private key to verify the sender's identity.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)

A cryptographic approach that uses the algebraic structure of elliptical curves, efficient for mobile devices.

Hash Digest

A unique representation of the original data, always of the same length regardless of input length.

SHA-1

A hashing algorithm that produces a 160-bit hash digest, less prone to collisions than MD5.

SHA-2

A family of hashing algorithms that offers longer hash digests including SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-348, SHA-512.

SHA-3

A hashing algorithm that uses 224-bit to 512-bit hash digests, more secure with 120 rounds of computations.

Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA)

An algorithm utilized for digital signatures that uses a 160-bit message digest.