Glossary

3DES Triple Data Encryption Standard. Uses a 168-bit key for symmetric key block encryption. It is suitable for encrypting large amounts of data. Last certified by the US government (NIST) as a standard in 1999. It must be re-certified every 5 years.

AES Advanced Encryption Standard. Uses a symmetric key block encryption. HP-UX IPSec supports AES with a 128-bit key. AES is suitable for encrypting large amounts of data. Last certified by the US government (NIST) as a standard in 2001. It must be re-certified every 5 years.

AH See Authentication Header.

Authentication Header (AH) The AH provides data integrity, system-level authentication and can provide anti-replay protection.

Authentication The process of verifying a user's identity or integrity of data, or the identity of the party that sent data.

Asymmetric keys, public/private keys

Based on cryptography algorithms where data can be encrypted with a public key but only decrypted with the corresponding private key. In addition, data encrypted by a private key can be decrypted with the corresponding public key with the assurance that only the given private key could have encrypted the data.

CA See Certificate Authority.

Certificate A security certificate associates (or binds) a public key with a principal--a particular person, device, or other entity. The security certificate is issued by an entity, in whom users have put their trust, called a certificate authority (CA) that guarantees or

confirms the identity of the holder (person, device, or other entity) of the corresponding private key. The CA digitally signs the certificate with the CA’s private key, so the certificate can be verified using the CA’s public key.

The format for public-key certificates is defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) X.509 standard, Version 3.

Certificate Authority (CA) Certificate authority is a trusted third party that authenticates users and issues certificates. In addition to establishing trust in the binding between a user’s public key and other security-related information in a certificate, the CA digitally signs the certificate information using its private key.

Certificate Revocation List (CRL)

Certificates are issued with a specific lifetime, defined by a start date/time and an expiration date/time. However, situations can arise, such as a compromised key value, that necessitate the revocation of the certificate. In this case, the certificate authority can revoke the certificate. This is accomplished by including the certificate’s serial number on a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) updated and published on a regular basis by the CA and made available to certificate users.

CRL: See Certificate Revocation List.

DES Data Encryption Standard. Uses a 56-bit key for symmetric key block encryption. It is suitable for encrypting large amounts of data. Last certified by the US government (NIST) as a standard in 1999. It must be re-certified every 5 years.

Glossary

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