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 Cryptography

Cryptography

Cryptography is the science and art of concealing the meaning of a message so that only authorized individuals can read it. When communicating over any untrusted medium the encoding or encryption of information is crucial to the security of that communication..

Cryptography, if implemented correctly with in security protocols, can provide some very basic security requirements.

  • Authentication - The proof of ones identity.
  • Privacy/Confidentiality - Providing mechanisms that prevent anybody, except the intended recipient, from reading the message.
  • Integrity - Insuring that the message is in the original sent form and has not been altered.
  • Non-repudiation - Proof that the message was sent by the sender.

Cryptographic algorithms can be divided into four basic groups of functions:

  1. Encryption - Provides the message privacy/confidentiality.
    • AES - Advanced Encryption Standard (128-bit Block Cipher)
    • Camellia - 128-bit Block Cipher
    • CAST-128 - 64-bit Block Cipher
    • CAST-256 - 128-bit Block Cipher
    • CCM - Counter with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code
    • DES - Data Encryption Standard (64-bit Block Cipher)
    • GCM - Galois/Counter Mode
    • Rabin - Rabin Stream Cipher
    • RC4 - ArcFour Stream Cipher
    • RSA - RSA Public Key Schemes
    • SEED - 128-bit Block Cipher
    • SNOW2 - SNOW version 2 Stream Cipher
    • TDEA, 3DES, TDES - Triple Data Encryption Standard/Algorithm
  2. Authentication - Provides authentication, integrity and non-repudiation.
    • CBC-MAC - Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code
    • CCM - Counter with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code
    • CFB-MAC - Cipher Feedback Message Authentication Code
    • DSA - Digital Signature Algorithm
    • ECDSA - Elliptical Curve Digital Signature Algorithm
    • GCM - Galois/Counter Mode
    • GMAC - Galois Message Authentication Code
    • HMAC - Hash Message Authentication Code
    • Rabin - Rabin Digital Signature
    • RSA - RSA Digital Signature
  3. Key Handling - Facilitates privacy/confidentiality by keeping the private keys secret.
    • AESKW - AES Key Wrap Algorithm
    • AKW1 - Alternative Key Wrap Algorithm 1
    • AKW2 - Alternative Key Wrap Algorithm 2
    • PSEC-KEM - Provably Secure Elliptical Curve Key Encapsulation Mechanism
    • RSA-KEM - RSA Key Encapsulation Mechanism
    • TDKW - TDES Key Wrap Algorithm
  4. Others - These are hash functions, pseudo random number generators and any other helper functions.
    • MD5 - Message Digest Algorithm 5
    • RIPEMD - RACE Integrity Primitives Evaluation Message Digest
    • SHA-1 - Secure Hash Algorithm 1
    • SHA-2 - Secure Hash Algorithm 2
    • Whirlpool - Whirlpool Hash Algorithm

VOCAL's cryptography implementations are available in software or software assisted by hardware, please contact us for further information.