Overview
Symmetric encryption is fast and efficient, making it ideal for encrypting large amounts of data. However, the primary challenge is the secure distribution of the shared key.
Common Algorithms
- AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): The industry standard for symmetric encryption.
- DES (Data Encryption Standard): An older, now insecure algorithm.
- ChaCha20: A modern, high-performance stream cipher.
Use Cases
- Encrypting files and databases.
- Securing data at rest.
- Bulk data transmission in secure protocols like TLS.