Block Versus Stream Algorithms
In the preceding chapter, where I described how to generate encryption keys, I mentioned some encryption algorithms that were labeled as either block or stream algorithms. You might be wondering what the difference is between these two types of encryption algorithms. Why would you want to use one over the other?
A block algorithm encrypts data in fixed size chunks. The block size is usually specified by the algorithm being used. Because these algorithms need to encrypt a block of data that is a specific size, the original data is often padded with additional random data. This additional data increases the amount of data so that it is the same size as the block size of the algorithm.
A stream algorithm encrypts data ...
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