See also encryption. Symmetric encryption involves encrypting and de-crypting information using the same key. It is less processor-intense than asymmetric encryption but requires a key exchange at some stage. Keys have to remain secret anda different key may be required for every entity that communicates with you. Therefore, secure encryption using symmetric keys alone does not scale well. Symmetric keysare often exchanged under cover of asymmetric encryption. See also asymmetric encryption. 6. Glossary T - Z
A method involving a single secret key for both encryption and decryption.
Encryption that uses a single key for both encryption and decryption. Symmetric encryption is preferred when encrypting large amounts of data. Some of the more common symmetric encryption algorithms are RC2, RC4, and Data Encryption Standard (DES). See also public key encryption.
A form of cryptosystem in which encryption and decryption are performed using the same key. Also known as conventional encryption.
Encryption that uses the same key for both encrypting and decrypting.
An encryption method that uses the same cryptographic key to encrypt and decrypt a given message.
A secret key algorithm (SKA) in which the same key is held by both parties and is used for both encryption and decryption. DES is a symmetric algorithm.
A type of encryption where the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the message.
A secure method of converting data for transmission that uses the same cipher, or “key,†to encrypt and decrypt the message. See Also: Asymmetric Encryption
Also known as conventional, secret-key, and single-key algorithms; the encryption and decryption key are either the same or can be calculated from one another. Block ciphers and stream ciphers are both used for symmetric encryption. See also: asymmetric encryption, block cipher, cipher, stream cipher
Also known as conventional, secret key, and single key algorithms; the encryption and decryption key are either the same or can be calculated from one another. Two sub-categories exist: block and stream.
An encryption method that uses a single cryptographic key to both encrypt and decrypt a given message.
An encryption algorithm that requires the same secret key to be used for both encryption and decryption. Because of its speed, symmetric encryption is typically used when a message sender needs to encrypt large amounts of data. Symmetric encryption is also called secret key encryption. See also: public key encryption
See: Conventional Encryption
A method of encrypting data in which both the sender and receiver have the same key used for encryption and decryption. Symmetric encryption is typically faster than asymmetric encryption, which uses different keys for encryption and decryption.
Encryption in which the sender and the receiver use the same key or machine setup.