A performance based comparison of various symmetric cryptographic algorithms in run-time scenario

Today, with a wide use of internet all across the globe where it has become a significant tool of commerce, security and protection of information becomes a vital issue to deal with. Cryptography is a historical art and in basic terms it refers to the science of writing in secret and covert code. The first use of it dates back to centuries ago. Without any surprise, with the widespread development of computer communications the new forms of cryptography have emerged. It has always been used to safeguard and protect the military and diplomatic communication since its very inception. The primary objective of this paper is to define and briefly explain the fundamental terms and concepts regarding the cryptographic methods and also to assess the various cryptographic schemes that are in use today. It is imperative to mention that this paper is chiefly focussed on the concepts, schemes and terminologies and does not comprise the thesis of the entire field.