What is a cryptographic protocol?
Q: What is a cryptographic protocol?
A: A cryptographic protocol (also known as an encryption protocol or security protocol) is an abstract or existing protocol that performs a security-related function and applies cryptographic methods. It describes how the cryptographic algorithms should be used to secure information.
Q: What are some features of a cryptographic protocol?
A: Cryptographic protocols usually have at least some of these features: key generation, entity authentication, key agreement, symmetric encryption of transferred messages using the agreed generated key.
Q: How are cryptographic protocols used?
A: Cryptographic protocols are widely used for secure application-level data transport in order to secure transferred messages.
Q: Is there an example of a complete cryptographic protocol?
A: Yes, the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) which uses what is known as the Diffie-Hellman key exchange can be seen as a complete cryptographic protocol in itself for other applications.
Q: Does the description of a protocol include details about data structures and representations?
A: Yes, the description of a protocol must include details about all data structures and representations.
Q: Does it also include details about how to utilize the protocol by programs?
A: Yes, it also includes details about how to utilize the protocol by programs.
