ColdFusion 8 provides six encryption functions: decrypt(),decryptBinary(), encrypt(), encryptBinary(), generateSecretKey(), and hash().

Use AES or higher for symmetric encryption.

Use SHA-256 or higher for the hash function.

Use a salt (or random string) for password generation with the hash function.

Always use generateSecretKey() to generate keys of the appropriate length for block encryption algorithms unless a customized key is required.