Question

What two categories can symmetric key ciphers be placed into?

Answer 1

Symmetric key ciphers can be placed into two categories: block ciphers and stream ciphers.

Step-by-step explanation:

Symmetric key ciphers can be placed into two main categories: block ciphers and stream ciphers.

Block ciphers divide the plaintext into fixed-size blocks and then apply a cryptographic algorithm to each block. A popular example of a block cipher is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

Stream ciphers, on the other hand, encrypt the plaintext one character at a time. They generate a continuous stream of random keystream bits, which are then combined with the plaintext to produce the ciphertext. One well-known stream cipher is the RC4 algorithm.