ORACLE Transparent Data Encryption Algorithms [TDE]

1.2.1.1 Supported Encryption Algorithms

Oracle Advanced Security provides the following encryption algorithms to protect the privacy of network data transmissions:

1.2.1.1.1 RC4 Encryption:

The RC4 encryption module uses the RSA Security, Inc., RC4 encryption algorithm. Using a secret, randomly-generated key unique to each session, all network traffic is fully safeguarded including all data values, SQL statements, and stored procedure calls and results. The client, server, or both, can request or require the use of the encryption module to guarantee that data is protected. Oracle's optimized implementation provides a high degree of security for a minimal performance penalty. For the RC4 algorithm, Oracle provides encryption key lengths of 40-bits, 56-bits, 128-bits, and 256-bits.

1.2.1.1.2 DES Encryption :

Oracle Advanced Security implements the U.S. Data Encryption Standard algorithm (DES) with a standard, optimized 56-bit key encryption algorithm and also provides DES40, a 40-bit version, for backward compatibility.

1.2.1.1.3 Triple-DES Encryption :

Oracle Advanced Security also supports Triple-DES encryption (3DES), which encrypts message data with three passes of the DES algorithm. 3DES provides a high degree of message security, but with a performance penalty. The magnitude of penalty depends on the speed of the processor performing the encryption. 3DES typically takes three times as long to encrypt a data block as compared with the standard DES algorithm.

3DES is available in two-key and three-key versions, with effective key lengths of 112-bits and 168-bits, respectively. Both versions operate in outer Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode.

1.2.1.1.4 Advanced Encryption Standard:

Approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 197, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a new cryptographic algorithm standard developed to replace DES. AES is a symmetric block cipher that can process data blocks of 128 bits, using cipher keys with lengths of 128, 192, and 256 bits, which are referred to as AES-128, AES-192, and AES-256, respectively. All three versions operate in outer-CBC mode.

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B19306_01/network.102/b14268/asotrans.htm#sthref205

tde.pdf