> More generally, I think the distinction between a "block-based stream cipher" and a block cipher (or permutation) mode is the degree to which you abstract away the block cipher.
Just to make sure I understand you correctly, for example:
- CTR: definitely a stream cipher, and a synchronous one at that
- CBC: maybe a little like a stream cipher (you're e.g. exposed to the block width, and also less like most stream ciphers because asynchronous)
- AEZ: extremely not (because you're exposed to round counts)
That makes perfect sense to me, since that's where I felt the analogy started getting tenuous :)
Just to make sure I understand you correctly, for example:
- CTR: definitely a stream cipher, and a synchronous one at that
- CBC: maybe a little like a stream cipher (you're e.g. exposed to the block width, and also less like most stream ciphers because asynchronous)
- AEZ: extremely not (because you're exposed to round counts)
That makes perfect sense to me, since that's where I felt the analogy started getting tenuous :)