Encryption algorithms
What do the following terms mean: DES, RSA, PKI, RC5, Base 64, Blowfish, 128-bit?


    Requires Free Membership to View

    SearchSecurity.com members gain immediate and unlimited access to breaking industry news, virus alerts, new hacker threats, highly focused security newsletters, and more -- all at no cost. Join me on SearchSecurity.com today!

    Michael S. Mimoso, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchSecurity.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchSecurity.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.

DES, RSA, RC5 and Blowfish are well-known and widely used encryption algorithms, and 128-bit refers to length of the key used to encrypt and decrypt messages with a specific algorithm.

You'll find a very good explanation of all the popular cryptographic terms at the Web site of RSA Labs.


For more information on this topic, visit these other SearchSecurity.com resources:
Ask the Expert: What is encryption?
Best Web Links: Encryption


This was first published in October 2001