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1 . A " cryptosystem " is the ordered list of elements of finite possible plaintexts , finite possible ____________________ , finite possible keys , and the encryption and decryption algorithms which correspond to each key . Keys are important , as ciphers without variable keys can be trivially broken with only the knowledge of the cipher used and are therefore useless ( or even counter - productive ) for most purposes . Historically , ciphers were often used directly for encryption or decryption without additional procedures such as authentication or ____________________ checks .

2 . Symmetric key ciphers are implemented as either block ciphers or ____________________ ciphers . A block cipher enciphers input in blocks of plaintext as opposed to individual characters , the input form used by a stream cipher .

3 . Stream ciphers , in contrast to the 'block' type , create an arbitrarily ____________________ stream of key material , which is combined with the plaintext bit - by - bit or character - by - character , somewhat like the one - time pad . In a stream cipher , the output stream is created based on a hidden internal state which changes as the cipher operates .

4 . A significant disadvantage of symmetric ciphers is the key management ____________________ to use them securely . Each distinct pair of communicating parties must , ideally , share a different key , and perhaps each ciphertext exchanged as well .

5 . Diffie and Hellman's publication sparked widespread academic efforts in finding a practical ____________________ - key encryption system . This race was finally won in 1978 by Ronald Rivest , Adi Shamir , and Len Adleman , whose solution has since become known as the RSA algorithm .

6 . The goal of ____________________ is to find some weakness or insecurity in a cryptographic scheme , thus permitting its subversion or evasion .

7 . Some widely known cryptosystems include RSA encryption , Schnorr signature , El - Gamal encryption , PGP , etc . More complex cryptosystems include electronic cash systems , signcryption systems , etc . Some more 'theoretical' cryptosystems include ____________________ proof systems , ( like zero - knowledge proofs ) , systems for secret sharing , etc .