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What is Cryptography?

Oct 01, 2021 07:29

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The term ‘cryptography’ refers to an extensive learning of a training and strategy to protect significant data and communications against the exposure of enemies. There are a lot of hackers and unauthorized users who want access to public data, so they can mislead the information for their benefits. For this purpose, Cryptography standards were introduced to protect our data from such threats. Although cryptography is now considered fundamental to our digital lives, it is not particularly relevant to computing.

Cryptography refers to secure information and communication techniques derived from mathematical concepts and a set of rule-based calculations called algorithms, to transform messages in ways that are hard to decipher. These deterministic algorithms are used for cryptographic key generation, digital signing, verification to protect data privacy, web browsing on the internet, and confidential communications such as credit card transactions and email.

In this article we will cover what actually Cryptography is and how does it work and what are its algorithm types.

Cryptography

The term cryptography is derived from the Greek word kryptos, the prefix “crypt-” means “hidden” or “vault” — and the suffix “-graphy” stands for “writing.” Cryptography involves creating written or generated codes that allow information to be kept secret. This process has been used for centuries to prevent handwritten messages from being read by unintended recipients. 

It converts data into a format that is unreadable for an unauthorized user, allowing it to be transmitted without unauthorized entities decoding it back into a readable format, thus compromising the data. However, in today’s computer-centric world, cryptography is most often associated with scrambling plaintext (ordinary text, sometimes referred to as cleartext) into ciphertext (a process called encryption), then back again (known as decryption).

Information security uses cryptography on several levels. The information cannot be read without a key to decrypt it. The information maintains its integrity during transit and while being stored. Cryptography also aids in nonrepudiation. This means that the sender and the delivery of a message can be verified. Cryptography not only protects data from theft or alteration, but can also be used for user authentication. Cryptography is also known as cryptology.

History of cryptography

Cryptology is a young science and it has been used for thousands of years to hide systematic messages. The origins of cryptography usually dated from about 2000 B.C., in the practice of Egyptian hieroglyphics. These contained intricate imagery, the full meaning of which was known only to a select few. The first use of a modern cryptocurrency was by Julius Caesar (100 B.C. to 44 B.C.) who did not trust his ambassadors when communicating with his governors and officials.

For this reason, he created a system in which each character in his messages was replaced by a character three levels ahead of the Roman characters. In recent times, cryptography has become the battleground of the world’s best mathematicians and computer scientists. The ability to securely store and transfer important information has proven to be a key factor in success in war and trade.

Encryption is subject to various restrictions in many countries, up to the limits of applications, as some countries want to have access to and send hidden information that threatens national interests. And software exports for the general dissemination of mathematical concepts used to create cryptosystems. However, the Internet allowed the spread of powerful programs and most importantly the basic techniques of cryptography, so that today the most advanced cryptocurrency and ideas are now in the public domain.

There are three types of cryptography techniques used in general:

  • Symmetric Key Cryptography- It is an encryption system where the sender and receiver of message use a single common key to encrypt and decrypt messages. Symmetric Key Systems are faster and simpler but the problem is that sender and receiver have to somehow exchange key in a secure manner. The most popular symmetric key cryptography system is Data Encryption System(DES).
  • Hash Functions- There is no usage of any key in this algorithm. A hash value with fixed length is calculated as per the plain text which makes it impossible for contents of plain text to be recovered. Many operating systems use hash functions to encrypt passwords.
  • Asymmetric Key Cryptography – Under this system a pair of keys is used to encrypt and decrypt information. A public key is used for encryption and a private key is used for decryption. Public key and Private Key are different. Even if the public key is known by everyone the intended receiver can only decode it because he alone knows the private key.

Whenever there is communication happening over an electronic network, the mandatory security requirements are fulfilled by cryptography. The essential elements that create the platform for cryptography are:

  • Privacy
  • Non-repudiation
  • Authentication
  • Integrity

Different cryptographic keys and algorithms are available to suit the needs of different actions. Wherever electronic communication occurs cryptography has a major role in the play. They are financial transactions, security-related information, administration, law and more.

The “Crypto” in Cryptography

The word “crypto” means hidden or secret. In cryptocurrency  cryptography ensures the security of transactions and participants, the independence of operations from a central authority and protection from double costs. Cryptography technology is used for many purposes – to protect the various transactions that take place on the network, to control the generation of new currency units, and to verify the transfer of digital assets and tokens.

Cryptocurrencies emulate the concept of real-world signatures by using cryptography techniques and encryption keys. Cryptography methods use advanced mathematical codes to store and transmit data values in a secure format that ensures only those for whom the data or transaction is intended can receive, read, and process the data, and ensure the authenticity of the transaction and participant.

Conclusion

The concept of cryptography has actually been around for thousands of years. It is used in different ways by different people for different reasons. Despite the rich history of cryptography, public key cryptography-based cryptocurrencies are still in their infancy. In fact, the first cryptocurrency bitcoin is only about 13 years old. In recent years Bitcoin’s price has seemed to continue marching higher. The infinite power of this kind of cryptography is really beginning to be felt and it’s caused the rush in cryptocurrency. Anonymity and concealment are key features of cryptocurrencies and the various methods used by cryptographic techniques ensure that participants and their activities are covered as much as desired on the network.

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