Cryptography has been practiced for thousands of years to defend secret communication. While cryptography remains a field shrouded in mystery, it has come a long way from ancient Greece and Rome to the digital world.
What is Cryptography?
It is a practice and study of approaches related to secure communication in the presence of such adversaries, and is known as cryptography. This process uses algorithms to change information — typically in its original form (or plaintext) — into an unreadable format known as ciphertext. Only those with the right decryption key can retrieve the original plaintext.
Key Concepts in Cryptography
Encryption: The conversion of plaintext to ciphertext.
Decryption – the process of converting ciphertext back into plaintext
Cipher: A cipher is an algorithm for encryption/decryption.
Key — Protected value used for encryption and decryption
Types of Cryptography
Symmetric-Key Cryptography:
It employs a single key for both the encryption and the decryption process.
This works only if both the sender and receiver share the same key.
Ciphers: AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), DES (Data Encryption Standard)
Public-Key Cryptography:
Employed two keys: A public key and a private key.
The public key can be distributed openly, while the private key remains private.
Only the matching private key can decrypt data that is encrypted with your public key.
RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) DSA (Digital Signature algorithm)
Applications of Cryptography
Cryptography has several applications which include:
Securing communications: It protects the email, instant messages, and other online communications.
Encryption for Data at Rest: Encrypt data residing on a hard disk, cloud storage, and other storage devices.
Secure Online Transactions: Ensuring credit card details and other private information remain secure while purchasing online.
Digital Signature: To check whether the digital document is real and unmodified
Blockchain Technology: Monitoring transactions/data in blockchain systems.
The Future of Cryptography
With every new technological advancement, threats to our digital security also advance. Blockchain security is essential for the protection of our online environment. Only by knowing the rules of cryptography and applying proper cryptographic methods can we preserve sensitive information and enable secure communication.
Eventually we can expect more innovations in the field of cryptography for instance with quantum cryptography, a cryptographic technology providing an unparalleled security level. With the dynamic attack landscape, cryptography is an integral part of protecting our digital assets.
