In cryptography , Triple DES is a block cipher derived from the Data Encryption Standard ( DES ) cipher by using it three times . Triple DES is also known as TDES or , more standard , TDEA ( Triple Data Encryption Algorithm ) . In cryptography , Triple DES ( 3DES ) is the common name for the Triple Data Encryption Algorithm ( TDEA or Triple DEA ) block cipher , which applies the Data Encryption Standard ( DES ) cipher algorithm three times to each data block .