Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) Mode
Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) Mode: A mode of operation for block ciphers where each block of plaintext is XORed with the previous ciphertext block before being encrypted. This method ensures that identical plaintext blocks will encrypt to different ciphertext blocks, enhancing security. It uses an initialization vector (IV) for the first block to ensure randomness.
Cipher Feedback (CFB) Mode
Cipher Feedback (CFB) Mode: A mode of operation for block cipher systems that effectively converts a block cipher into a self-synchronizing stream cipher. In CFB mode, the previous ciphertext block is encrypted, and the output is XORed with the current plaintext block to get the current ciphertext block. As with CBC mode, the chaining mechanism […]
Cipher Suite
Cipher Suite: A set of algorithms that work together to secure network connections. It defines the way that a system will implement cryptographic functions such as key exchange, bulk encryption, and message authentication. When two devices communicate, they agree on a cipher suite to use for the session, ensuring that both parties have the necessary […]
Cipher
Cipher: An algorithm used for performing encryption or decryption—a series of well-defined steps that can be followed to transform an input (plaintext) into an output (ciphertext) or vice versa. Ciphers are fundamental to modern cryptography and operate based on a piece of auxiliary information known as a key. The key determines the particular transformation of […]
Ciphertext or Cipher Text
Ciphertext or Cipher Text: The output of the encryption process. It is the scrambled, unreadable version of an original plaintext message that has been encrypted using a cipher. Ciphertext is designed to be meaningless and confusing, so it is unreadable and incomprehensible to anyone who intercepts it without the correct decryption key.
Ciphertext-only attack
Ciphertext-only attack: A type of attack where an attacker only has access to the ciphertext of a message or data and not the plaintext or the key used to encrypt it. This type of attack is often used to test the security of a cipher algorithm or to try to break the encryption. Examples include […]