Cipher suite

Dear friend,

A cipher suite is a set of encryption algorithms for use in establishing a secure communications connection (an encryption algorithm is a set of mathematical operations performed on data for making data appear random). 

There are a number of cipher suites in wide use and an essential part of the TLS handshake is agreeing upon which cipher suite will be used for that handshake.

Best regards!

Hello!

Ciphers are algorithms, more specifically they’re a set of steps for performing a cryptographic function – it can be encryption, decryption, hashing or digital signatures. Nowadays ciphers are dependent upon the advanced processing capabilities of computers. That hasn’t always been the case though. One of the first, well-known historical ciphers belonged to Caesar – the very first emperor of Rome and purveyor of fancy appetizer salads – who used it to communicate with his generals during military operations.

It uses exponentiation of prime numbers and has a wide range of applications. With SSL/TLS you commonly see RSA used in the context of key exchange. Again, this is where all those 2048-bit (and 3072- and 4096-bit) keys come from.

Thanks!