Groups > alt.privacy.anon-server > #103329

Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference?

From	Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid>
Newsgroups	alt.privacy.anon-server, comp.mobile.android, alt.comp.freeware
Subject	Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference?
Date	2026-09-17 10:32 +0100
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<118gc37$4opc$3@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(5 earlier) <118e6if$3e60l$1@dont-email.me> <118ela3$3jnoh$3@dont-email.me> <118erib$3mitv$1@dont-email.me> <118f9pf$3rcaa$1@dont-email.me> <118g5tn$3iq2$1@dont-email.me>

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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On 2026-09-17, R.Wieser wrote:

> Nuno,
>
>>>> You realize a few methods rely on generating and exchanging a
>>>> symmetric key in an initial step encrypted by asymmetric keys?
> ...
>>> But than why use symmetric keys when you already have something that
>>> generates and works with a-symmetric ones ?   Thats twice the work,
>>> with no benefit.
>>
>> Efficiency of computation, smaller complexity.
>
> You do seem to have little context awareness.
>
> Your answer is in regard to using only one encryption method (likely the 
> symmetric key one).   Your own "You realize" talks about using *both* 
> methods in the same program.
>
> So, again : why use a symmetric key when you already have generated and used 
> an a-symmetric one - just so you could safely get that symmetric key to some 
> other party ?

Because the asymmetric encryption used to exchange the symmetric key is
more expensive than the symmetric encryption, so in a longer exchange
you do asymmetric encryption at the beginning, to establish the key for
the cheaper symmetric encryption that takes place for the rest of the
conversation/exchange.

(See SSL and TLS.)

>>>> Just think of what could happen when one of both parties "looses"
>>>> their symetric key ?   And just assume that they do not realise
>>>> that it has happened.
>
> I'm still missing an answer to this question though. :-|
>
>
> I get the feeling that you have no idea how to defend your stance that the 
> usage of symmetric encryption is equal to that of a-symmetric
> encryption.

That's not my stance.

> In that case we should end our conversation sooner rather than later.
>
> Regards,
> Rudy Wieser
>
>

-- 
Nuno Silva

Thread

Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What’s the Difference? Kim JongUn <USAandNK@WorkersParty.org> - 2026-09-09 20:41 +0200
  Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What’s the Difference? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-09 21:34 +0200
  Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-09 22:22 +0200
    Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Kim JongUn <USAandNK@WorkersParty.org> - 2026-09-09 22:50 +0200
      Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-10 07:43 +0200
    Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Hermes <noreply@oc2mx.net> - 2026-09-11 17:30 +0000
      Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-11 20:07 +0200
        Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Hermes <noreply@oc2mx.net> - 2026-09-11 18:29 +0000
          Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-11 21:55 +0200
            Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Hermes <noreply@oc2mx.net> - 2026-09-11 20:32 +0000
              Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-12 08:22 +0200
            Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Librarian2025 <librarian2025@cock.li> - 2026-09-16 00:32 -0500
              Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-16 08:44 +0200
              Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Gab_Virebent <gabriel1@virebent.invalid> - 2026-09-16 09:28 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-16 15:45 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-16 18:57 +0100
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-16 21:40 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-17 00:46 +0100
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-17 09:38 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-17 10:32 +0100
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-17 19:12 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-18 11:16 +0100
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-18 15:03 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Librarian2025 <librarian2025@cock.li> - 2026-09-17 01:12 -0500
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-17 09:46 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Librarian2025 <librarian2025@cock.li> - 2026-09-17 13:54 -0500
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-17 22:11 +0200
                Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? Yamn3 Remailer <noreply@mixmin.net> - 2026-09-17 21:15 +0100
        Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-11 20:31 +0200
          Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-11 22:16 +0200
            Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-11 22:44 +0200
              Re: Zero-Knowledge Encryption vs End-to-End Encryption: What's the Difference? "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-12 08:42 +0200

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