5 Commonly Used Encryption Algorithms

Encryption Algorithm

Many people still ignore the importance of encryption. Most internet services use encryption to keep your information safe. Encryption, however, is a bit tricky to understand. There are many types and they have different uses. How do you know what the “best” encryption algorithm is? Let's take a look at some of the common encryption algorithms used by many people.

Also Read: Definition of Cryptography (Cryptography) and Examples

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Differences in Encryption Types and Encryption Strength

2. 5 Most Common Encryption Algorithms

3. 1. TripleDES

4. 2. RSA

5. 3. Blowfish

6. 4. Twofish

7. 5. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

8. Conclusion

Differences in Encryption Types and Encryption Strength

One of the biggest encryption language mistakes stems from the differences between encryption types, encryption algorithms, and their respective strengths. Let's explain:

  * Type of encryption: The type of encryption concerns how the encryption is completed. For example, asymmetric cryptography is one of the most common types of encryption on the internet.

  * Encryption algorithms: When we talk about the strength of encryption, we're talking about specific encryption algorithms. Algorithms are where interesting names come from, such as Triple DES, RSA, or AES. Encryption algorithm names are often accompanied by a numeric value, such as AES -128. The number refers to the size of the encryption key and further determines the strength of the algorithm.

5 Most Common Encryption Algorithms

The types of encryption form the foundation for the encryption algorithm, while the encryption algorithm is responsible for the encryption strength. We are talking about encryption strength in bits.

Also, you probably know more encryption algorithms than you realize. Here are some of the most common types of encryption algorithms.

1. TripleDES

Triple DES (sometimes written 3DES or TDES) was designed to replace the deprecated Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm. Initially Triple DES was the recommended standard and the most widely used symmetric algorithm in the industry.

TripleDES improves the encryption procedure by running DES three times. Data is encrypted, decrypted, and then encrypted again, giving an effective key length of 168 bits. This is strong enough for most sensitive data. However, while TripleDES is stronger than standard DES, it is has its own drawbacks.

Although slowly being phased out, Triple DES still manages to create reliable hardware encryption solutions for financial services and other industries.

2. RSA

RSA (named after its creators Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman) was one of the first public key cryptographic algorithms. It uses a one-way asymmetric encryption function.

Many sides of the internet use the RSA algorithm extensively. This is a key feature of many protocols, including SSH, OpenPGP, S/MIME, and SSL/TLS. In addition, browsers use RSA to establish secure communications over insecure networks.

RSA remains very popular due to its key length. RSA keys are typically 1024 or 2048 bits. However, security experts believe that it won't be long before 1024-bit RSA cracks, prompting many business organizations to migrate to stronger 2048-bit keys.

3. Blowfish

Blowfish is another algorithm designed to replace DES. This symmetric cipher divides the message into blocks of 64 bits and encrypts each one.

The blowfish is known for its incredible speed and overall effectiveness as many claim that it is never defeated. Meanwhile, vendors have taken full advantage of its free availability in the public domain.

Blowfish can be found in software categories ranging from e-commerce platforms for securing payments to password management tools, where it is used to protect passwords. This is definitely one of the more flexible encryption methods available.

4. Twofish

Computer security expert Bruce Schneier is the mastermind behind the creation of Blowfish and its successor Twofish. The keys used in this algorithm may be up to 256 bits in length and as a symmetric technique, only one key is required.

Twofish is considered one of the fastest of its kind, and is ideal for use in both hardware and software environments. Like Blowfish, Twofish is freely available to anyone who wants to use it. As a result, you'll find it bundled in encryption programs like PhotoEncrypt, GPG, and the popular open source TrueCrypt software.

5. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is now a trusted encryption standard. It is based on the Rijndael algorithm developed by two Belgian cryptographers, Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen.

Also Read: Which Wifi Security Should You Choose AES Or TKIP?

Belgian cryptographers submitted their algorithm to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with 14 others competing to become the official successor to DES. Rijndael “won” and was selected as the proposed AES algorithm in October 2000.

AES is a symmetric key algorithm and uses a symmetric block cipher. It consists of three main sizes: 128, 192, or 256 bits. In addition, there are different encryption loops for each key size. Looping is the process of converting plaintext into password text. For 128-bit, there are 10 rounds. 192-bit has 12 rounds, and 256-bit has 14 rounds.

There are theoretical attacks against the AES algorithm, but all require levels of computing power and data storage that is impossible in today's era. For example, one attack required about 38 trillion terabytes of data more than all the data stored on all the computers in the world in 2016. Other estimates put the total amount of time needed to force an AES-128 key in billions of years.

As such, encryption guru Bruce Schneier did not “believe that anyone would invent an attack that would allow someone to read Rijndael's traffic,” beyond theoretical academic encryption. Schneiers' Twofish encryption algorithm was Rijndael's direct challenger during the competition for choose a new national security algorithm.

Conclusion

So those are some of the common types of encryption algorithms. But what is certain is that encryption is important as cyber attacks are constantly evolving. Expert observers also hope that a new method called Honey Encryption will deter hackers by presenting fake data for every wrong guess of the key code.

Hopefully, this article about 5 Commonly Used Encryption Algorithms, gives you a little insight. Also, read an article about 5 Dangers of Downloading Pirated Games that you may need to know. Thank you.