What are the advantage and disadvantage of DES?


Data Encryption Standard (DES) is the block cipher which creates a fixed-length string of plaintext bits and change it through a sequence of complicated operations into another cipher text bit string of the similar length. It is a symmetric encryption technique which defines both sender and receiver need a shared key to encrypt and decrypt the information.

The problem of this approach is that if the key is known to others the complete conversation is negotiated. The 3DES block size is 64 bits and also need a key to customize the conversion, so that decryption can only be implemented by those who know the specific key used to encrypt. The key basically includes 64 bits however, only 56-bits of these are actually utilized by the algorithm.

Eight bits are used only for testing parity, and thereafter rejected. Therefore the “effective key length is 56-bits” and it is continually quoted. Each 8th bit of the selected key is rejected i.e., positions 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64 are deleted from the 64-bit key leaving following only the 56-bit key.

Advantage of DES

There are various advantage of DES which is as follows −

  • DES has been around a long time (since 1977), even no actual weaknesses have been discovered and the most effective attack is still brute force.

  • DES is an official United States Government standard. The Government is needed to re-certify, DES every five years and ask it be restored if essential.

  • DES is also an ANSI and ISO standard. Because DES was designed to run on 1977 hardware, it is rapid in hardware and associatively quick in software.

  • It supports functionality to save a file in an encrypted format which can only be accessed by supporting the correct password.

  • It can change the system to create the directories password protected.

  • It can review a short history of DES and represent the basic structures.

  • It can define the building block component of DES.

  • It can define the round keys generation process and to interpret data encryption standard.

  • It can provide that private information is not accessed by other users.

  • Some users can use the similar system and still can work individually.

Disadvantage of DES

There are various disadvantage of DES which is as follows −

  • The 56 bit key size is the largest defect of DES and the chips to implement one million of DES encrypt or decrypt operations a second are applicable (in 1993).

  • Hardware implementations of DES are very quick.

  • DES was not designed for application and therefore it runs relatively slowly.

  • In a new technology, it is improving a several possibility to divide the encrypted code, therefore AES is preferred than DES.

Updated on: 15-Mar-2022

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