SECURITY RESILIENCE COMPARISON OF SYMMETRIC AND ASYMMETRIC CRYPTOGRAPHIC ALGORITHMS

Аннотация

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical foundations and practical implementation aspects of symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic algorithms. It examines the operational principles, security strengths, and computational efficiency of widely used symmetric encryption schemes such as DES and AES. Furthermore, the study explores the mathematical underpinnings, key management complexities, and security characteristics of prominent asymmetric algorithms, including RSA and ECC. The findings highlight that symmetric algorithms are characterized by high processing speed and minimal resource requirements, whereas asymmetric algorithms demonstrate superior capabilities in ensuring secure key distribution and authentication. The paper also evaluates the trade-off between security and performance across varying key lengths and algorithmic structures, ultimately underscoring the effectiveness of a hybrid cryptographic approach in modern cybersecurity systems. Keywords: Symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, AES algorithm, DES algorithm, RSA algorithm, ECC algorithm, key management, cryptographic security, encryption efficiency, cybersecurity. In today's digital age, the rapid advancement of digital technologies, internet networks, and information systems is driving profound transformations across various sectors. In particular, the processes of digital transformation in fields such as the economy, education, healthcare, public administration, finance, and social services are introducing new opportunities, enhanced efficiency, and increased convenience. These developments have paved the way for the expansion of innovative directions such as information exchange, digital document circulation, and remote service delivery. 58 International scientific journal “Interpretation and researches” Volume 1 issue 11 (57) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2 However, the accelerated growth of information technologies has also led to a significant escalation in challenges related to information security. In particular, issues such as unauthorized access to digital information resources, data theft, manipulation, and destruction now pose serious threats to many organizations and individual users. As a result, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of information has become a critical and top-priority task for every organization, institution, and individual. Cryptographic resilience of symmetric encryption algorithms Symmetric encryption algorithms are widely employed in modern cryptography to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of information. Their primary characteristic lies in the use of a single secret key for both encryption and decryption processes [1]. One of the earliest block cipher algorithms, DES, utilizes a 56-bit key [2]. However, due to the significant increase in computational power, DES is now considered obsolete. 3DES enhances the security of DES by applying it three times, though at the expense of reduced performance speed [3]. Among the RC family of algorithms, RC2, RC4 (a stream cipher), RC5, and RC6 are notable. RC4 was widely used but is now regarded as insecure [4-5]. RC5/RC6 stand out for their adaptability, yet their patented status has limited their widespread adoption. Rijndael (AES) is the current encryption standard, supporting 128-, 192-, and 256-bit keys and providing a high level of security. Today, AES is recognized as the most reliable and widely used symmetric encryption algorithm [6]. Additionally, there are other block ciphers such as CAST-128, Skipjack, MARS, Serpent, and Twofish. Several countries have also developed national algorithms: GOST in Russia, SM4 in China, and SEED in South Korea [7–10]. The cryptographic resilience of symmetric algorithms depends on factors such as key length, structural complexity, and resistance to contemporary cryptanalytic attacks. While AES is currently considered the most optimal algorithm, the emergence of quantum technologies is prompting the need for novel approaches to ensure cryptographic security. Cryptographic resilience of asymmetric encryption algorithms Asymmetric encryption algorithms, also known as public-key cryptography, utilize two distinct keys: a public key and a private key. These keys complement each other to enable both secure data encryption and authentication. One of the most widely used asymmetric algorithms is RSA, which is based on the computational difficulty of factoring large integers [11]. When employing key lengths of 2048 or 3072 bits, RSA provides a high level of security; however, it suffers from relatively low processing speed. Another notable asymmetric encryption method is ElGamal, which relies on the discrete logarithm problem and offers strong cryptographic protection [12-15]. 59 International scientific journal “Interpretation and researches” Volume 1 issue 11 (57) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2 Although slower than RSA in many scenarios, ElGamal can deliver