What information does the key length provide in an encryption algorithm?

What information does the key length provide in an encryption algorithm?
A . the packet size
B . the number of permutations
C . the hash block size
D . the cipher block size

View Answer

Answer: B

Explanation:

In cryptography, an algorithm’s key space refers to the set of all possible permutations of a keys. If a key were eight bits (one byte) long, the keyspace would consist of 28 or 256 possible keys. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) can use a symmetric key of 256 bits, resulting in a key space containing 2256 (or 1.1579 × 1077) possible keys.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_space_(cryptography)