TLS-ECCPWD-WITH-AES-128-CCM-SHA256 Cipher Suite

Key Exchange Mechanism

Elliptic Curve Cryptography Password - ECCPWD

Grade - A

ECCPWD (Elliptic Curve Cryptography Password-based key Derivation) is a cryptographic protocol that enhances security in password-based authentication systems. It leverages elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) to derive strong encryption keys from passwords, significantly reducing vulnerability to brute-force attacks. ECCPWD integrates seamlessly into cipher suites, providing robust encryption and authentication for secure communication. Its efficiency and high security make it particularly suitable for modern applications, ensuring that even weak, low-entropy passwords are protected by the strength of ECC.

Cipher

Advanced Encryption Standard - AES

Grade - A

AES should be used in cipher suites because it offers strong security with efficient performance, large block size (128 bits), and resistance to known attacks. Its widespread adoption and thorough analysis by the cryptographic community ensure reliability and robustness for encrypting sensitive data.

Hash

Secure Hash Algorithm 256 Bit - SHA256

Grade - A

Improving greatly from SHA1, SHA-256 and above create secure hashes through robust cryptographic algorithms that ensure collision resistance and preimage resistance. They process input data in fixed-size blocks, applying complex mathematical transformations that make it computationally impractical to reverse-engineer the original data from its hash.

Key Size

128 Bit - 128

Grade - A

128-bit symmetric encryption keys are considered secure because they provide an astronomically large number of possible combinations (2^128), making brute-force attacks computationally infeasible with current technology. This level of security is sufficient for most practical purposes and is widely adopted in various encryption protocols.

Cipher Mode

Counter with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code - CCM

Grade - A

CCM (Counter with CBC-MAC) is a mode of operation for cryptographic block ciphers, providing both encryption and authentication. Used in cipher suites, CCM ensures data confidentiality and integrity by combining the Counter (CTR) mode for encryption with the Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code (CBC-MAC) for authentication. This dual functionality makes CCM highly efficient and secure, suitable for resource-constrained environments like IoT and wireless networks. By integrating CCM, cipher suites offer robust protection against unauthorized access and tampering, enhancing overall security in secure communications.