Algorithms for encrypting computer data come in two main varieties: symmetric and asymmetric. Each encryption type has inherent strengths and weaknesses. Symmetric algorithms convert plain-text data ...

A formula used to turn ordinary data, or "plaintext," into a secret coded message known as "ciphertext." The ciphertext can reside in storage or travel over unsecure networks without its contents ...

Cryptographic algorithms can be roughly classified in two categories: Encryption algorithms transform an input file into an output file from which it is (quite) impossible to recover the original ...

Karsten Nohl, the founder of Berlin's Security Research Labs, has announced an exploit for SIM cards using the outdated 56-bit DES algorithm for its signature verification. The security researcher ...

In the last section we discussed the potential for optimizing algorithms, which can be done, but sometimes may not result in the type of performance required. As was mentioned, you can always move the ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In our increasingly digital lives, security depends on cryptography. Send a private message or pay a bill online, and you’re relying on ...

The mission of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, is to create technical and measurement standards to make US manufacturing and industry more competitive. In 1987, the ...

Members can download this article in PDF format. In the last two articles, we covered the basic concepts and two basic types of cryptography. In this article, we will look at specific implementation ...