Art of Cryptography – its key features and fundamental approaches

Cryptography – safeguarding of information and communications by encoding them in a manner that only the intended recipients can comprehend and process the data, thereby thwarting unauthorized access. The term “cryptography” is derived from the fusion of “crypt” meaning “hidden” and “graphy” meaning “writing”.

In the realm of cryptography, the methods employed to protect data draw upon mathematical principles and a series of algorithmic calculations that transform messages into formats that are exceptionally challenging to decode. These algorithms serve a multitude of purposes, including cryptographic key generation, digital signature verification, data privacy protection, secure internet browsing, and safeguarding confidential transactions, such as those involving credit cards and debit cards.

Cryptography Technique

In the contemporary era of computing, cryptography frequently involves the conversion of plain text into cipher text, a process known as encryption, which ensures that only the intended recipient can decode the message. The converse process, turning cipher text back into plain text, is termed decryption.

Types of Cryptographic Techniques

In the realm of cryptography, there are three fundamental approaches:

1. Symmetric key cryptography: this encryption system relies on a single shared key that both the sender and receiver use for encrypting and decrypting messages. Symmetric key systems are known for their speed and simplicity. However, a challenge arises in securely exchanging the key between the sender and receiver. Prominent examples of symmetric key cryptography systems include the Data Encryption Standard (DES) and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
2. Hash Functions: this technique operates without the use of any encryption key. Instead, it calculates a fixed-length hash value based on the input plain text, rendering it virtually impossible to reverse-engineer the original content. Hash functions are widely used in various operating systems for password encryption.
3. Asymmetric key cryptography: In this method, a pair of keys is employed for encryption and decryption. The recipient’s public key is used for encryption, while their private key is used for decryption. Notably, public and private keys are distinct. Even if the public key is publicly known, only the intended recipient can decode the message because they alone possess the corresponding private key. The most well-known asymmetric key cryptography algorithm is the RSA algorithm.

Key Features of Cryptography

1. Confidentiality: information can solely be accessed by its intended recipient, ensuring that no other individual can gain access to it.
2. Integrity: information cannot be altered during storage or transmission from the sender to the intended receiver without any unauthorized modifications being detected.
3. Non-repudiation: the originator/sender of the information cannot later deny their intention to transmit the information.

In the modern technological world, where life is increasingly connected with technology, it is very important to be able to protect yourself from external threats.