There are several technical terms that are frequently used, but a lot of people do not know the meanings of such terms. It is common to be confused, but it is necessary to understand the definitions and differences between the words like AES and Twofish.
These are some terms that are used in the context of encryption.
Key Takeaways
- AES is a widely adopted symmetric encryption standard, while Twofish is an alternative symmetric encryption algorithm.
- AES operates on fixed block sizes and offers three key length options, while Twofish utilizes a single key length with variable block sizes.
- Both algorithms provide strong security, but AES has faster encryption speeds and is more widely implemented.
Aes vs Twofish
The difference between AES and Twofish is that the word AES refers to Rijndael, a type of encryption standard which was chosen as the winner. Twofish refers to another type of encryption standard, which was the runner-up to the AES. The terms Twofish and Rijndael refer to the different encryption standards that competed for the title of AES.
The word AES is used as the abbreviation of Advanced Encryption Standard. Terms like encryption are familiar to a lot of people and are popularly used among the public. But there is not much awareness about the actual meaning.
The AES was introduced in 1999 when computers were becoming famous around the globe.
The word Twofish is used to refer to a symmetric key block cipher in the context of cryptography and encryption standards. Terms like encryption are familiar to a lot of people. They are also popularly used among people.
But there is not much awareness about the actual meaning of terms like Twofish. It was first published in the year 1988.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Aes | Twofish |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | It refers to the term Advanced Encryption Standard. | It refers to the symmetric key block cipher. |
| Competition | It is originally Rijndael that won the title of AES. | It was the runner-up in the competition against Rijndael. |
| Performance | It is much faster and more efficient than Twofish. | It is slower than AES. |
| Security | It is slightly less secure and more vulnerable to attacks. | It is more secure than AES. |
| Network | It uses a substitution permutation network. | It uses a Feistel network. |
What is Aes?
The word AES is used to refer to the type of encryption standard that was decided decades ago. The term AES can be abbreviated as Advanced Encryption Standard.
As the name suggests, the AES is the advanced method of encryption standard that was finalized years before. AES is originally known as Rijndael.
In a competition between Rijndael and Twofish, the winner Rijndael was chosen to bear the title of Advanced Encryption Standard or AES.
The performance of AES is better than Twofish and was a primary reason to win the AES title. It is relatively common to be confused by terms like encryption standards, AES and Rijndael.
These terms can be spotted in conversations regarding cryptography and others. As a person interested in cryptography, it is necessary to be aware of the meaning behind these popular terms like AES.
AES is a better performer than Twofish due to its faster image and text encryption. Though it is on the same level as Twofish on security, there have been semi-practical attacks on AES in the past.
AES is slightly more susceptible to attacks than others. The AES uses the network of substitution permutation. It has been in practice since 2001.
AES provides better performance with average security.
What is Twofish?
The word Twofish is used to the type of encryption standard that was created decades ago. It is used to refer to the symmetric key block cipher in the area of cryptography and encryption.
Twofish was one of the finalists in the contest for the title of Advanced Encryption Standard. It was the runner-up for the title and lost to Rijndael.
Twofish resembles a lot of similarities to the earlier block named Blowfish.
The performance of Twofish is slower than AES and was a major reason to lose the AES title. It is quite common to be confused by terms like encryption standards and Twofish.
These terms can be noticed in conversations regarding cryptography and other encryptions. As a person interested in cryptography, it is necessary to be aware of the meaning behind these popular terms like Twofish.
Twofish is the worse performer when compared to AES. It is due to the complex design and the usage of 16 rounds of the Twofish algorithm.
This slows down the performance of Twofish. When it comes to security, Twofish is second to none.
There have been no practical attacks on it due to the computational impossibility. Twofish clearly prioritizes security over performance.
It is a reason why it fared lesser than Rijndael in the contest.
Main Differences Between Aes and Twofish
- The word AES refers to the Advanced Encryption Standard whereas, the word Twofish is used to denote the symmetric key block cipher.
- Rijndael is the original encryption standard that won the contest for the title of Advanced Encryption Standard. Twofish was the runner-up and lost it to Rijndael.
- AES provides much better performance due to its speed and efficiency. Meanwhile, Twofish is a lot slower.
- The AES is more susceptible to practical and semi-practical attacks whereas, Twofish has faced only theoretical attacks.
- AES uses the network known as substitution permutation whereas, Twofish uses a network named as Feistel network.
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
