Stream Cipher Vs Block Cipher – Differences And Examples
Feb 03, 2022
Sudip Sengupta
Symmetric encryption algorithms are categorized into two: block and stream ciphers. This article explores block cipher vs. stream cipher, their respective operation modes, examples, and key differences. However, before delving into these in detail, let us understand the basics first.
Symmetric cryptography (key cryptography/private key cryptography) involves using a shared key/secret to access an encoded message between two entities. The sender shares the key cipher to the receiver to decrypt the message. The encryption algorithm emulates a one-time pad system to protect the original message from unauthorized access. The cipher algorithms generate a truly random key cipher used only once with the one-time pad system. Anyone who does not possess the secret/key cannot interpret the encrypted message.
Table of contentsLet’s see the differences (short introduction)What are Block Ciphers?What are Stream Ciphers?Key differences Between Block and Stream Ciphers Let’s see the differences (short introduction)
Block ciphers encrypt data in blocks of set lengths, while stream ciphers do not and instead encrypt plaintext one byte at a time. The two encryption approaches, therefore, vary widely in implementation and use-cases.
What are Block Ciphers?
Block ciphers convert data in plaintext into ciphertext in fixed-size blocks. The block size generally depends on the encryption scheme and is usually in octaves (64-bit or 128-bit blocks). If the plaintext length is not a multiple of
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