A stream cipher encrypts plaintext messages by applying an encryption algorithm with a pseudorandom cipher digit stream (keystream). Each bit of the message is encrypted one by one with the corresponding keystream digit. Stream ciphers are typically used in cases where speed and simplicity are both requirements. If a 128 bit block cipher (such as AES [Advanced Encryption Standard]) were to be used in place of a stream cipher where it was encrypting messages of 32 bit blocks, 96 bits of padding would remain. This is an inefficient approach and is one reason why a stream cipher would be preferred over a block cipher, since stream ciphers operate on the smallest possible unit.
Some common stream ciphers include Salsa20, ChaCha (a seemingly better variant of Salsa20), Rabbit, and HC-256, among others. Block ciphers can be used in stream mode to act as a stream cipher. If a block cipher is run in CFB (cipher feedback), OFB (output feedback), or CTR (counter) mode, it does not require additional measures to handle messages that aren’t equivalent to the length of multiples of the block size, and eliminates the padding effect.
For information on the stream ciphers that can be implemented with wolfSSL or to learn more about the wolfSSL embedded SSL/TLS library, please view our wolfSSL product page or contact us at facts@wolfssl.com.
References
[1] Stream cipher. (2014, November 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:19, December 19, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stream_cipher&oldid=634494612.
[2] Margaret Rouse. Stream Cipher. (2005). Available URL: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/stream-cipher.
[3] Block cipher mode of operation. (2014, December 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:13, December 19, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Block_cipher_mode_of_operation&oldid=637837298.