ISSC361 B002
American Military University
128-Bit Encryption
Most Web browsers now use “128-bit encryption” to exchange data with secure Web sites.
But what does this mean? In order for web browsers to exchange data with secure websites they now use 128-bit encryption. This means that there are 2128 different key combinations that an attacker would have to work his or her way through, assuming that the last key was the correct one, in order to find the right encryption key according to Cory Janssen. He also goes on to say that this encryption is secure because of the huge amount of computing resources and thousands of lifetimes of effort it would take to crack makes it impractical to attempt.
What is “128-bit encryption”?
In an article written by Cory Janssen he described 128-bit encryption as “a data/file encryption technique that uses a 128-bit key to encrypt and decrypt data or files.” This means that the key is 128 bits long regardless of the length of the the actual passphrase. In order to do this the the encryption algorithm takes into account the passphrase length and compensates for it to ensure that the key is always 128 bits long.
In terms of software available to the general public, is “128-bit encryption” the strongest?
Even though 128-bit encryption has become the standard bearer for encryption for Banks and the U.S. Government it is not the the strongest available to the general public. There are several levels of encryption beyond it. Key sizes of 192 and 256 bits are available for those who feel that need a robust form of encryption. (Bradford, 2014)
How does this compare to encryption tools used by corporations or government agencies?
128-bit encryption compares favorably to that used by corporations and government agencies. The reason for that is that it is the encryption used by corporations and government agencies. While you can be forgiven for falling into the more is better line of thinking, in
References: Belogortseff, A. (2015). Is 128-bit encryption weaker than 256-bit?. Usbcrypt.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015, from http://www.usbcrypt.com/128-vs-256-bit-encryption/ Bradford, C. (2014). 5 Common Encryption Algorithms and the Unbreakables of the Future - StorageCraft. Storagecraft.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015, from http://www.storagecraft.com/blog/5-common-encryption-algorithms/ Janssen, C. (2015). What is 128-Bit Encryption? - Definition from Techopedia. Techopedia.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015, from http://www.techopedia.com/definition/29708/128-bit-encryption