What Is Symmetric Encryption?

Symmetric encryption is a method of cryptography where a single key is responsible for encrypting and decrypting data. The involved parties share that key, password, or passphrase, and they can use it to decrypt or encrypt any messages they want. According to the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), some of the most common algorithms used for symmetric cryptography include the Data Encryption Standard (DES), which uses 56-bit keys, Triple DES, which applies the DES algorithm three times with different keys; and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), an algorithm which the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology recommends new applications use for securely storing and transferring data.

Symmetric key ciphers, or the algorithms used to perform encryption and decryption, appeal to organizations because they are inexpensive despite the level of protection they afford. Indeed, authentication is built into symmetric cryptography in that parties can't decrypt data that's encrypted with one symmetric key using another symmetric key. The IBM Knowledge Center notes that symmetric key ciphers are also smaller in size. This property helps minimize the time delay involved with encrypting and decrypting data.

from DZone.com Feed http://bit.ly/2Wl1uXJ