Symmetric-key algorithms are identified by the three components of their supported variations: algorithm_mode_keysize. So, for example, the symmetric-key algorithm identified by the string "AES_CBC_128", specifies the AES symmetric-key algorithm combined with the CBC mode using a 128-bit key size.
The AES_CBC_128 cipher is the default cipher for OpenEdge RDBMS Transparent Data Encryption. It represents the best balance between the strength of data encryption, its viability in today's encryption market, and performance. The 128 bit key size is chosen because it is the fastest of the AES key sizes.
The following figure shows the relative key strengths on a scale of 1 to 10.
Figure 2. Relative key strength
The following figure shows the relative speed of the supported encryption keys on a scale of 1 to 10. Encryption and decryption speed is not absolute; it is highly dependent on system processor speeds.
Figure 3. Relative key encryption and decryption speed
