Cryptography Stack Exchange
Cryptography Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [block-cipher]

A block cipher is an encryption algorithm which encrypts fixed-size blocks of plaintext to same-sized blocks of ciphertext. For good ciphers every bit of the ciphertext block depends on every bit of the plaintext block and every bit of the key.

In practice, block ciphers are usually used with a mode of operation, effectively creating stream ciphers from them.

Known block ciphers are , , ,.

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What is the difference between PKCS#5 padding and PKCS#7 padding

One runtime platform provides an API that supplies PKCS#5 padding for block cipher modes such as ECB and CBC. These modes have been defined for the triple DES, AES and Blowfish block ciphers. The other platform API only provides PKCS#7 padding. Are…
Maarten Bodewes
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What are the practical differences between 256-bit, 192-bit, and 128-bit AES encryption?

AES has several different variants: AES-128 AES-192 AES-256 But why would someone prefer use one over another?
foobarfuzzbizz
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Should I use ECB or CBC encryption mode for my block cipher?

Can someone tell me which mode out of ECB and CBC is better, and how to decide which mode to use? Are there any other modes which are better?
midhunhk
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Why shouldn't I use ECB encryption?

I'm using Java to generate encrypted strings, and I get this warning at build time: ECB encryption mode should not be used So I'm wondering why I shouldn't use ECB and what I can use instead?
Rogue
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Why is AES resistant to known-plaintext attacks?

At least it's my understanding that AES isn't affected by known-plaintext. Is it immune to such an attack, or just resistant? Does this vary for chosen-plaintext?
Jeff Ferland
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Difference between stream cipher and block cipher

I read that A typical stream cipher encrypts plaintext one byte at a time, although a stream cipher may be designed to operate on one bit at a time or on units larger than a byte at a time. (Source: Cryptography and Network Security, William…
Ravindra Bagale
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Why use an Initialization Vector (IV)?

Why use an Initialization Vector (IV)? How are IV's used? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using an IV? Why use an IV instead of a longer key in which some section of the key is public? What happens to various security properties if an IV…
Ethan Heilman
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What are the benefits of the two permutation tables in DES?

Why do we use a permutation table in the first step of DES algorithm and one at the end of the algorithm?
Am1rr3zA
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How can we reason about the cryptographic capabilities of code-breaking agencies like the NSA or GCHQ?

I have read in Applied Cryptography that the NSA is the largest hardware buyer and the largest mathematician employer in the world. How can we reason about the symmetric ciphers cryptanalysis capabilities of code-breaking agencies like the NSA or…
jokoon
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Why does nobody use (or break) the Camellia Cipher?

If Camellia is of equivalent security and speed to AES, concerns arise. First of all, assuming the above, why is Camellia so rarely used in practice? Why aren't there any breaks in Camellia? Does that mean that Camellia is currently more secure than…
Chris Smith
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What are recommended, general strategies to start block-cipher design and/or analysis?

I (and many others for that matter) have always been fascinated by the inner workings of the modern building block of cryptography: block ciphers. Now, the resources on the "black art" of design and analysis of these ciphers are sparse; especially…
SEJPM
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Why is MixColumns omitted from the last round of AES?

All rounds of AES (and Rijndael) have a MixColumns step, save the last round which omits it. DES has a similar feature where the last round differs slightly. The rationale, if I recall correctly, was to "make the cipher appear similar in reverse…
Fixee
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How do I apply differential cryptanalysis to a block cipher?

I have read a lot of summaries of block ciphers particularly with regards to the NIST competitions stating that reduced-round block ciphers are – for example – vulnerable to differential cryptanalysis. I have a general idea that the application of…
user46
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Can someone explain the ECB Penguin?

I've seen the ECB Penguin used to demonstrate why ECB is not a recommended method of encryption, but I do not understand how this translates to text or passwords. Aren't the people who create these images comparing apples and oranges?
Josh Bond
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How to solve MixColumns

I can't really understand MixColumns in the Advanced Encryption Standard, can anyone help me how to do this? I found some topics on the internet about MixColumns, but I still have a lot of questions to ask. Ex. $$ \begin{bmatrix} \mathtt{d4}…
goldroger
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