What is cryptography?
All devices around us like computers, cell phones, and routers use cryptography. So what is cryptography? And why it’s very important.
In this post, you'll learn:
- What is cryptography?
- The main goal of cryptography is to protect data.
- The main goals of cryptography.
- What are encryption and decryption?
- Types Of Cryptography.
- And lot more...
So if you’re ready to go all in with cryptography, this post is for you.
Let’s dive right in.
What is cryptography?
Cryptography is a science, it’s used to keep information secret by transforming it. It allows you to convert ordinary plaintext into unintelligible text.
When you use cryptography to encrypt your messages no one can read them. only you and the recipient of the message can read the original message. and everyone else will see only unintelligible text.
The main goal of cryptography is to protect data:
How to protect your data?. If you want to protect your data, files, images, and important documents. then You can use cryptography. For example, you want to protect your important documents. you can encrypt them, so if someone steals your laptop from you. he will not be able to read your files.
Also, you can encrypt your images on your cell phone, so if you lose it, or someone steals it from you. he can’t see your images.
The main Goals of cryptography:
Confidentiality:
One of the main goals of cryptography is to make sure nobody reads your messages when you send them encrypted over the internet except the intended recipient. And this is called Confidentiality.
Integrity:
When do you send a message to your friend over the internet? hackers can change your messages, send what they want to your friend, and claim that they are you.
For this reason, with integrity, you can make sure that nobody will change your messages.
Non-repudiation:
When you send a message to someone else. you can’t say later that you are not who sent the message, and this is called Non-repudiation.
Authentication:Authentication allows you to prove who you are.
In cryptography, there are two processes: encryption and decryption.
when you want to send an encrypted message to your friend, the first you do is to encrypt it. And then you will send it to him.
When your friend receives your encrypted message. He will decrypt it, and then he can read it. So in cryptography, there are two processes encryption and decryption.
What is encryption?
Encryption is the process of turning plaintext into ciphertext. it’s used to make sure that no one can read the original message except the intended recipient. because he is the only one who can turn that ciphertext into the original message.
What is Decryption?
Decryption is the process of turning ciphertext into plaintext. When you receive an encrypted message you can’t read them until you decrypt them.
Types Of Cryptography:
Symmetric Key Cryptography:
In this type of cryptography, the sender and receiver have the same key. And they use it to encrypt and decrypt messages.
For more details about symmetric key cryptography read:
Asymmetric Key Cryptography:
In this type of cryptography, there are a pair of keys used to encrypt and decrypt data.
The first key is used to encrypt the data, and its name is a public key. The second key is used to decrypt the data, and its name is the private key.
Public keys and Private keys are different.
And you should deal with them differently. you can share your public key with others, but you have to protect your private key.
For more details about asymmetric encryption read:
What is asymmetric encryption?
The keys in cryptography:
The public key in cryptography.
The public key is used in asymmetric encryption. it’s only used to encrypt data. you can publish it on the internet, or upload it to a key server and share it with your friends.
The symmetric key in cryptography.
The symmetric key is used in symmetric encryption for encrypting and decrypting data. you should keep it secret, only you and the recipient should know it.
The private key in cryptography.
The private key is used in asymmetric encryption to decrypt data. you should keep it secret, and don’t share it with anyone else.