Symmetric Encryption
Symmetric encryption uses one shared key for both encryption and decryption, which makes it fast enough for bulk data but requires that key to be distributed securely.
What is Symmetric Encryption?
Definition
Symmetric Encryption uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption, which makes it far faster than public-key cryptography and therefore suitable for bulk data — disk volumes, database contents, TLS session traffic. Its whole difficulty sits in the key: everyone who needs to read the data needs the key, so distributing and rotating it securely is the real problem, not the algorithm. In practice the two approaches are combined — asymmetric cryptography establishes a symmetric session key, and that key then does the actual work.
Role in cybersecurity
Symmetric Encryption plays an important role in building organizational resilience against cyber threats. Implementing appropriate mechanisms in this area is required by regulations such as NIS2, DORA and ISO 27001.