An encryption method in which all participants share the same key is known as which type of encryption?

The encryption method where all participants share the same key is referred to as symmetric encryption. In symmetric encryption, a single key is used for both the encryption and decryption processes, meaning that both the sender and the receiver need to possess the same key to secure their communication. This method is efficient for encrypting large amounts of data due to its speed, but it does require a secure method for key distribution among the participants to prevent unauthorized access.

In contrast, asymmetric encryption employs a pair of keys—one public and one private. This system allows users to encrypt messages with the public key while only the holder of the private key can decrypt them, thus enhancing security without the need to share a single key. Hash encryption, on the other hand, is not actually a method of encryption but a one-way function that generates a fixed-size string from input data, primarily used for integrity checks. Public-key encryption is a synonym for asymmetric encryption, further emphasizing the difference in key management.