How many rounds does the 3DES encryption standard typically process?

The correct number of rounds that the 3DES encryption standard typically processes is 48 rounds. This is because 3DES (Triple Data Encryption Standard) applies the DES algorithm three times to each data block, effectively increasing the security compared to the original DES, which only operated for a single 16-round iteration. When using 3DES, the function is applied with either two or three different keys. In the case of three keys, the encryption sequence involves running the DES algorithm sequentially three times, leading to a total of 48 rounds (16 rounds per key used three times, minus the overlap of the first and last actions which come from the first application).

This design ensures that each data block goes through sufficient complexity to help mitigate several vulnerabilities that existed within the single iteration of DES. The rounds of processing enhance the diffusion and confusion properties of the encryption, making it significantly harder to reverse the operation without the key.