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Online SNIA Dictionary
A glossary of storage networking, data, and information management terminology. To learn more about the SNIA Dictionary click here.
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A special 10-bit character used to indicate the beginning of a Fibre Channel command.
[Data Security]
A sequence of bits used for cryptographic operations and/or for producing other keys.
The same plaintext encrypted with different keys yields different ciphertexts, each of which requires a different key for decryption. In a symmetric cryptosystem the encryption and decryption keys are the same. In an asymmetric cryptosystem the encryption and decryption keys are different.
[Data Security]
A process used in a cryptographic system that can restore access to data by providing for key deposit and recovery.
Key backup is sometimes used as a replacement term for key escrow, which has become encumbered with additional meanings.
[Data Security]
A process in which the storage of a cryptographic key is entrusted to a third party escrow agent who will disclose it only to the owner or another authorized user.
Key escrow systems are used to ensure that access to encrypted data can be restored in case of key loss due to error, disaster or a malicious act.
[Data Security]
A cryptographic protocol and procedure in which two communicating entities determine a shared key in a fashion such that a third party who reads all of their communication cannot effectively determine the value of the key.
A common approach to key exchange requires such a third party to compute a discrete logarithm over a large field in order to determine the key value, and relies for its security on the computational intractability of the discrete logarithm problem.
[Data Security]
The supervision and control of the process by which keys are generated, stored, protected, transferred, loaded, used, revoked and destroyed.
[Data Security]
An OASIS standard that establishes a single, comprehensive protocol for communication between enterprise key management servers and cryptographic clients.
[Data Security]
A public key and its corresponding private key as used in public key cryptography (i.e., asymmetric cryptosystems).
[Data Security]
A system characterized by the presence of some mechanism for obtaining exceptional access to a cryptographic key in case of loss by error, disaster, or malicious intent.
See also key escrow.
[Storage System]
A type of object storage interface where a key is used to address the associated object.
[Data Security]
A method of encrypting keys (along with associated integrity information) that provides both confidentiality and integrity protection using a symmetric key. [NIST SP 800-57 Part 1]
[Data Security]
A key or authentication information in physical or magnetic form.
[General]
Shorthand for 1,024 (210) bits.
Binary notation is most commonly used for semiconductor memory sizes.
See also Kilobit.
[General]
Shorthand for 1,024 (210) bytes.
Binary notation is most commonly used for semiconductor memory sizes.
See also Kilobyte.
[General]
1,000 (103) bytes.
The SNIA uses the base 10 convention commonly found in I/O-related and scientific literature rather than the base 2 convention (1,024, or 210) common in computer system and software literature.
See also Kibibit.
[General]
1,000 (103) bytes.
The SNIA uses the base 10 convention commonly found in I/O-related and scientific literature rather than the base 2 convention (1,024, or 210) common in computer system and software literature.
See also Kibibyte.
[Data Security]
Acronym for Key Management Interoperability Protocol.
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