What is Cryptography?
first we see what is the cryptography
so basically Cryptography plays a crucial role in securing our digital world, secure sensitive information, and ensuring data privacy. The term “cryptography” originates from two Greek words: “crypto” meaning hidden, and “graphy” meaning writing. In simple terms, cryptography is the art and science of hiding information to keep it secure. Whether you are sending a secret message or protecting your online transactions, cryptography is at the heart of digital security.
What Will You Learn in This Blog?
In this blog, we will explore:
- What is cryptography and terminology .
- How cryptography works?
- Types of Cryptography
- Cryptography applications.
Basics of Cryptography
So basically, cryptography transforms readable information (plaintext) into an unreadable format (ciphertext) to prevent unauthorized access. The process involves encryption and decryption. To do this effectively, cryptography relies on keys that are known to the sender and receiver.
Importance of Cryptography
Data Privacy: Ensures that personal and confidential information is secure.
Online Security: Protects online transactions, passwords, and sensitive communication.
Authentication: Verifies the identity of users in a digital environment.
Integrity: Ensures that data hasn’t been tampered with during transmission.
Terminology in Cryptography
Plaintext- the original message
• Ciphertext – the coded message
• Encipher (encrypt) – converting plaintext to ciphertext
• Decipher (decrypt) – recovering ciphertext from plaintext
• Key – info used in cipher known only to sender/receiver
• Cryptography – study of encryption principles/methods
• Cryptanalysis (codebreaking) – the study of principles/methods of deciphering ciphertext
without knowing key
• cryptology – the field of both cryptography and cryptanalysis
How Cryptography Works?
Cryptography relies on mathematical algorithms to convert plaintext into ciphertext. Here’s an example of a simple encryption process:
Step 1: Write a plaintext message (e.g., “HELLO”).
Step 2: Use an encryption method, like a substitution cipher, to encode it.
Step 3: Transmit the ciphertext (e.g., “IFMMP”).
Step 4: The receiver uses the decryption key to decode the message back into “HELLO”.
Types of Cryptography
Symmetric Cryptography:
Uses the same key for both encryption and decryption.
Example: AES (Advanced Encryption Standard).
Asymmetric Cryptography:
Uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.
Example: RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman).
Hash Functions:
Converts data into a fixed-size hash value.
Used for verifying data integrity, not encryption or decryption.
Example: SHA-256.
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