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symmetric cryptography

nounid 4304·updated May 9, 2026
candidate

A branch of cryptography in which a cryptographic system or algorithms use the same secret key (a shared secret key).

MWE

Classifications

Entity Type

Capability85%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5

Sensitivity

60%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5

Information Class

70%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5

Variants

plural
symmetric cryptographies
possessive
symmetric cryptography's
pluralpossessive
symmetric cryptographies'

Framework definitions

SANS Glossary of Security Terms1 senseview framework →
§1
A branch of cryptography involving algorithms that use the same key for two different steps of the algorithm (such as encryption and decryption, or signature creation and signature verification). Symmetric cryptography is sometimes called "secret-key cryptography" (versus public-key cryptography) because the entities that share the key.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Cybersecurity Lexicon1 senseview framework →
§1
A branch of cryptography in which a cryptographic system or algorithms use the same secret key (a shared secret key).

Outgoing relationships

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Incoming relationships

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