Block cipher modes of operation references on wikipedia
Block_cipher_modes_of_operation In cryptography, a block cipher operates on blocks of fixed length, often 64 or 128 bits. Because messages may be of any length, and because encrypting the same plaintext under the same key always produces the same output (as described in the ECB section below), several modes of operation have been invented which allow block ciphers to provide confidentiality for messages of arbitrary length.