Problem:

What encryption type is used for data in the SccDatabaseConf.xml file?

Resolution:

QUESTION
----------------------------------

What encryption type is used for data in the SccDatabaseConf.xml file?

ANSWER
----------------------------------

The encryption type used is Triple-DES, which is a block cipher formed from the Data Encryption Standard (DES) cipher.

Triple-DES

The Data Encryption Standard (DES) was developed by IBM around 1974 and adopted as 1977. Triple DES is a minor variation of this standard. It is three times slower than regular DES but can be billions of times more secure.

Triple DES has the advantage of proven reliability and a longer key length that eliminates many of the shortcut attacks that can be used to reduce the amount of time it takes to break DES.

Triple DES takes three 64-bit keys, for an overall key length of 192 bits. In Private Encryptor, you simply type in the entire 192-bit (24 character) key rather than entering each of the three keys individually. The Triple DES DLL then breaks the user provided key into three subkeys, padding the keys if necessary so they are each 64 bits long. The procedure for encryption is exactly the same as regular DES, but it is repeated three times. Hence the name

Triple DES. The data is encrypted with the first key, decrypted with the second key, and finally encrypted again with the third key.

Consequently, Triple DES runs three times slower than standard DES, but is much more secure.