The RC algorithms are a set of
symmetric-key encryption algorithm
Symmetric-key algorithms are algorithms for cryptography that use the same cryptographic keys for both the encryption of plaintext and the decryption of ciphertext. The keys may be identical, or there may be a simple transformation to go between th ...
s invented by
Ron Rivest. The "RC" may stand for either Rivest's cipher or, more informally, Ron's code.
[https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,1237,t=RC+algorithms&i=50212,00.asp ] Despite the similarity in their names, the algorithms are for the most part unrelated. There have been six RC algorithms so far:
*RC1 was never published.
*
RC2
In cryptography, RC2 (also known as ARC2) is a symmetric-key block cipher designed by Ron Rivest in 1987. "RC" stands for "Ron's Code" or "Rivest Cipher"; other ciphers designed by Rivest include RC4, RC5, and RC6.
The development of RC2 was ...
was a 64-bit
block cipher
In cryptography, a block cipher is a deterministic algorithm operating on fixed-length groups of bits, called ''blocks''. Block ciphers are specified cryptographic primitive, elementary components in the design of many cryptographic protocols and ...
developed in 1987.
*RC3 was broken before ever being used.
*
RC4
In cryptography, RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4, also known as ARC4 or ARCFOUR, meaning Alleged RC4, see below) is a stream cipher. While it is remarkable for its simplicity and speed in software, multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in RC4, ren ...
is a
stream cipher
stream cipher is a symmetric key cipher where plaintext digits are combined with a pseudorandom cipher digit stream (keystream). In a stream cipher, each plaintext digit is encrypted one at a time with the corresponding digit of the keystream ...
.
*
RC5
In cryptography, RC5 is a symmetric-key block cipher notable for its simplicity. Designed by Ronald Rivest in 1994, ''RC'' stands for "Rivest Cipher", or alternatively, "Ron's Code" (compare RC2 and RC4). The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) c ...
is a 32/64/128-bit block cipher developed in 1994.
*
RC6, a 128-bit block cipher based heavily on RC5, was an
AES finalist
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the symmetric block cipher ratified as a standard by National Institute of Standards and Technology of the United States (NIST), was chosen using a process lasting from 1997 to 2000 that was markedly more ...
developed in 1997.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rc Algorithm
Cryptographic algorithms