Reference Guide

Acronyms and Definitions 33
RSA BSAFE Crypto-C Micro Edition 4.1 Security Policy
Level 1
5 Acronyms and Definitions
The following table lists and describes the acronyms and definitions used throughout
this document.
Table 7 Acronyms and Definitions
Term Definition
AES Advanced Encryption Standard. A fast symmetric key algorithm with a 128-bit block, and
keys of lengths 128, 192, and 256 bits. Replaces DES as the US symmetric encryption
standard.
API Application Programming Interface.
BPS Brier, Peyrin and Stern. An encryption mode of operation used with the AES and Triple DES
symmetric key algorithms for format-preserving encryption (FPE).
Attack Either a successful or unsuccessful attempt at breaking part or all of a cryptosystem. Various
attack types include an algebraic attack, birthday attack, brute force attack, chosen ciphertext
attack, chosen plaintext attack, differential cryptanalysis, known plaintext attack, linear
cryptanalysis, and middle person attack.
Camellia A symmetric key algorithm with a 128-bit block, and keys of lengths 128, 192, and 256 bits.
Developed jointly by Mitsubishi and NTT.
CBC Cipher Block Chaining. A mode of encryption in which each ciphertext depends upon all
previous ciphertexts. Changing the Initialization Vector (IV) alters the ciphertext produced
by successive encryptions of an identical plaintext.
CFB Cipher Feedback. A mode of encryption producing a stream of ciphertext bits rather than a
succession of blocks. In other respects, it has similar properties to the CBC mode of
operation.
CRNG Continuous Random Number Generation.
CTR Counter mode of encryption, which turns a block cipher into a stream cipher. It generates the
next keystream block by encrypting successive values of a counter.
CTR DRBG Counter mode Deterministic Random Bit Generator.
CTS Cipher text stealing mode of encryption, which enables block ciphers to be used to process
data not evenly divisible into blocks, without the length of the ciphertext increasing.
DES Data Encryption Standard. A symmetric encryption algorithm with a 56-bit key. See also
Triple DES.
DESX A variant of the DES symmetric key algorithm intended to increase the complexity of a brute
force attack.
Diffie-Hellman The Diffie-Hellman asymmetric key exchange algorithm. There are many variants, but
typically two entities exchange some public information (for example, public keys or random
values) and combines them with their own private keys to generate a shared session key. As
private keys are not transmitted, eavesdroppers are not privy to all of the information
comprising the session key.