I am not the best cryptologer and therefore I have some questions so I learn more and get better. Heres the questions:
What is Initialization vector (IV)? MUST I use it or not?
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1$\begingroup$ What about reading about these things on your own (e.g. starting on wiki) and then coming back with more focused questions? This is too broad and shows no prior research. $\endgroup$– DrLecterCommented Dec 26, 2014 at 11:02
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$\begingroup$ Check the question again, I edited it. $\endgroup$– torCommented Dec 26, 2014 at 11:09
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$\begingroup$ What part of the Wikipedia article don't you understand? $\endgroup$– Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'Commented Dec 26, 2014 at 19:13
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$\begingroup$ @Gilles These sorts of attacks on perfectly reasonable beginner questions need to stop. One of the reasons why the world is as insecure as it is is that people in the industry become hostile to anyone just starting out. If this community is going to be helpful, it needs to accept questions of all skill levels, not just the extremely advanced ones that seem to be currently common. $\endgroup$– Steve SetherCommented Dec 29, 2014 at 6:01
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$\begingroup$ @SteveSether This is not an attack and not a matter of skill level. Basic questions are fine. But “what is X?” when X can be looked up in an reference which is obviously discoverable, easily accessed and known to be reliable is at best a waste of time to copy the article from said reference. Questions like “I read the Wikipedia article and I don't understand this point: …” are perfectly fine, no matter how basic they are. $\endgroup$– Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 12:02
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1 Answer
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Check Block Cipher Modes of Operation. IV is required for modes other than ECB, or your encryption will be extremely insecure. (Also note that ECB is insecure itself.)
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$\begingroup$ Hey the down-voter, could you explain why you down-voted this answer? I could understand why this question is voted down, since it seems too basic. But IMHO, this answer gave a reference to where to check exactly (since it's a basic question, a reference is enough and more informative than a short explanation) and a short answer to the questioner's last question, so I don't think I deserve a down-vote. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 27, 2014 at 7:24
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$\begingroup$ Hi Haochen, welcome to Cryptography Stack Exchange. We (at Stack Exchange in general) prefer answers with a bit more explanation in the answer itself, instead of mainly a link to somewhere else on the Internet. If you could add some sentences about the function of the IV, this would improve your answer. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 27, 2014 at 12:09
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$\begingroup$ Thank you @PaŭloEbermann. I'll remember that. I was trying to choose among just giving a few sentences about what IV is, to copy and paste a large part of text from another source explaining the cipher mode, and IV (a lot of information is required in order to understand what IV does, and why it's needed), or just give an informative reference, so the questioner could check for good. The questioner is very likely already knowing what IV is, but asking further information, so I provided a link, and answered the last question directly. Well, I'll try to be more informative the next time. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 27, 2014 at 12:32