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Encryption And Hashing Terms



Term Type* Description
X.509 Certificate ITU standard for certificates
SET Transaction Standard for credit-card transactions based on X.509 certificates with extensions
PKCS #1 Public key standard Defines method of encrypting and signing data using RSA's public key cryptosystem
PKCS #10 Public key standard Syntax for issuing server certificate requests
PKCS #11 Public key standard Defines communication methods with cryptographic devices such as smart cards
MD5 Hashing method Hashing technique that creates a 128-bit message digest
SHA -1 Hashing method Hashing technique that creates a 160-bit message digest
DES Encryption method Government standard using a single (symmetric) key
Triple DES Encryption method Uses two or three symmetric keys and multiple passes
RC2 Encryption method Uses variable key size block cipher using one variable-size key, algorithm held by RSA (not public)
RC4 Encryption method Uses variable key size stream cipher using one variable-size key
RC5 Encryption method Fast block size cipher; key can range in size from 0 to 2,048 bits
SSL v.2 Encryption method Protocol used with HTTP transmissions based on server-side public/private key pairs
SSL v.3 Encryption method Added support for client-side public/private key usage
S/MIME Standard Defines methods for encrypting and signing e-mail messages

*Hashing methods obtain digita l signatures, but do not encrypt data. Encryption met hods hide the data from unauthorized viewers.

Return To: Certificate Authorities: How Valuable Are They?


Updated March 25, 1997



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