Character ciphers are is where each character is replaced by another
character. An example of this cipher would be the Caesar cipher which
just shifts 13 characters(letters) to the right. These ciphers are easy to
crack and should not be used when high security is needed.
Block ciphers are a bit harder to decipher they break down plaintext
messages into fixed-size blocks before converting them into ciphertext
using a key. a block cipher is one that allows you to use a key to encrypt
data in groups (blocks) of a pre-determined size (such as 128 bits, 256
bits, etc.). This does cause a slower process as you will need a full block
before you can encrypt the information.
Stream ciphers encrypt one bit of plain text at a time. This is used to
confuse. While this is more secure than character ciphers it is still easier
to decrypt than block ciphers. Stream ciphers are also faster to make than
block ciphers as they encrypt one bit at a time so even if a wrong value is
entered it likely will not affect the stream cipher but this also leaves
vulnerability if the cipher is found out as other information can be entered
by the hacker which may be hard to find by the original coder.
