New section: Java cryptography

Several pages of the new section on Java Cryptography are now available for review and general criticism. Topics currently covered include:

• how to encrypt data in Java, looking at encryption with symmetric block ciphers as well as the RSA encryption scheme commonly used for passing session keys;
• different block modes, and how to use block modes in Java (including how to set an initialisation vector necessary in many cases via the IvParameterSpec class);
• how to choose and set the key size to use with encryption, and how to remove the key length restriction which is imposed by current versions of Sun's JDK by default.

Topics not currently covered, but planned for the near future include:

• comparison of block cipher algorithms: performance and security considerations;
• secure hash functions and authentication;
• cryptographic protocols;
• secure random number generation (note that the Java SecureRandom class is currently discussed in the site's section on random numbers in Java);
  
• digital signatures.

As usual, comments about the currently published sections are always welcome, as are suggestions for future additions to the cryptography section or to any other section of the web site. Please leave comments either on this blog or in the Java cryptography section of the Javamex discussion forum.

Update 12/04/09: The section now contains some information on secure hash functions in Java, plus a comparison of encryption algorithms.
19/04/09 As discussed in a separate blog entry, some information on password-based encryption is now included.

Enjoy...!