Password and Encryption Key

[ahmadss]

Hi everyone,
Could anyone help me please?

I want to measure the AES encryption time for different file sizes. I tried to download the AES Crypt for windows 7, and I entered 32 characters for the password. Then, I measured the time for different files.

My question is that 32 characters means 256-bit key? If I enter 16 characters, does it mean 128-bit key?
Thanks in advance

[paulej]

AES Crypt only uses a 256-bit encryption key. It does not matter whether the password is 1 character or 1000. You will not see any appreciable difference in the time required. Using a shorter password just means you use less a less secure "key", but they "key", regardless of size is transformed into the actual encryption key. The password is not the real key.

It might make more sense looking at the source code.

Paul

[ahmadss]

Thanks Paul so much. I got it now.