Glossary: Cryptography and PKI
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)
Also written: AES-128, AES-192, AES-256
The standard symmetric block cipher, used almost everywhere, including HTTPS, VPNs, disk encryption and Alex's backups. It encrypts data in 128-bit blocks with 128-, 192- or 256-bit keys, and AES-256 in GCM mode is a common strong default.
Where the book teaches it
- Chapter 1: What cryptography does
- Chapter 4: Symmetric encryption
- Chapter 5: Asymmetric encryption
- Chapter 6: Key exchange and session keys
- Chapter 10: TLS and end-to-end encryption
- Chapter 11: Encrypting stored data
- Chapter 12: Cryptographic weaknesses and key management
- Chapter 13: Project: a private PKI for Kettle & Crane
- Chapter 14: What's next
Related terms
Symmetric encryptionBlock cipherGCM (Galois/Counter Mode)Key length