What is Cryptography?

Technology has developed throughout the years, which has been shown by changes in varied aspects of how people live their daily lives. One example could be the delegacy of transportation which started from horses during early times to carriages, invention of automobiles, aircrafts, submarines and many more which we call at present. Through centuries, sending of meats has also evolved from messenger put up to electronic mail via the World Wide Web. Along with these be rising security measure threats to senders and receivers of those pass ons who fear that their mail would be opened by someone else.It is and has been the afore give tongue to(prenominal) problem ever since. How can these security threats and privacy invasions be avoided thence? The main topic of this research is the importance of a science that helps e very(prenominal)one. It could be in impairment of technology to the benefit of computer enthusiasts and industrialists, or only when for protection of the priv acy of each citizen. The following pages would give the readers a picture introduction of the subject at hand, cryptograph. Along with its definition, history, forms and utilizes, readers would also be equal to learn how important this science is and why each person should do it in their daily dialogue.According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, Cryptography is the en imagineing and deciphering of piths in private code or cipher, the computerized encoding and decoding of tuition. It is also known as secret writing. Derived from the classic words kryptos, which nitty-gritty orphic and the grafo, meaning write, is the transformation of data into a set up message, so that unintended recepients would not be able to rede or physical exercise them. (Wikibooks, Inc. , 2007).Cryptography is use to becloud reading by means of encryption, therefore making data unreadable to those who dont defend the secret primordial that can decipher or decrypt the message into an u nderstandable one. encoding is done when instruction is transformed into something which others might date as useless. This is called ciphertext. The act of transforming the said study into an understandable format with the use of a cipher or secret key is called decryption. (Wikibooks, 2007) The use of steganography is seen today through its many uses.These include the security of ATM cards, electronic commerce and computer words. These are use for entre control and confidentiality of secure reading. (Cryptography, 2007) Such techniques like microdots and combining words with images are employ by cryptographers to hide information from unintended recepients. (Pawliw, 2006) The earliest known use of secret writing is Classical Cryptography. It shows that it has been thousands of years since cryptography was starting signal done. History has stated that the first proof of the use of cryptography dates back to 2000 BC.It has been related with the Egyptians recitation of hi eroglyphics which consisted of manifold pictograms seen carved into monuments of Ancient Egypt. These pictograms were hard to interpret and only a elect few knew what their real meanings were. Some time within 500 and 600 BC, Hebraic scholars make use of simple substitution ciphers like the Atbash Cipher in order to solve these encrypted messages. According to Wikibooks, the first known use of a modern cipher was by Julius Caesar (100 BC to 44 BC)who did not self-confidence his messengers when communicating with his governors and officers. For this reason, he created a system in which each part in his messages was replaced by a character three positions ahead of it in the Roman alphabet. (Wikibooks, 2007) By the time of World War II, there has die a great use of mechanical and electromechanical cryptographic cipher machines, but the usage of these was very impractical. During this time, there were various developments in two numeric and practical cryptography.When the period of modern cryptography began, Claude Shannon, father of mathematical cryptography, published the paper communion Theory of Secrecy Systems in the cost System Technical Journal in 1949. Shortly after that, along with Warren Weaver, he published the book Mathematical Theory of Communication as well. Because of those human raceations, a solid theoretical basis for cryptography and for secret writing was established, which made cryptography known only by secret political sympathies communications organizations such as the NSA.It was only in 1969 that the humans again saw developments in the field of cryptography First was the DES (Data encryption Standard) submitted by IBM in an effort to develop secure electronic communication facilities for businesses such as banks and other large financial organizations it was adopted and published as a FIPS Publication (Federal Information Processing Standard) in 1977has been made effectively obsolete by the adoption in 2001 of the Advanced Encryption StandardDES was the first publicly accessible cypher algorithmic rule to be blessed by a guinea pig crypto agency such as NSA.The release of its design details by NBS stimulated an explosion of public and academic interest in cryptography. (Wikibooks, 2006) Here are the important terms related to Cryptography in detail Encryption is the act of concealment information using cryptography. Processed information in this manner is said to be encrypted. Decryption is the process of translating encrypted information. The Key is like a password use to encrypt and decrypt information. A transmission channel used to transmit information in secrecy is called a Secure Line, plot of land a Public Line is the oppo put.An example of which are public settle phones and the Internet. (Wooledge , 2000) There are several types of Cryptography macrocosm used today. In order to further explain the types of Cryptography, Wooledge compared the Key to a key to a door. First among these is the Symmetric Cipher, which can sometimes be called a bilaterally symmetrical key. Most of the time, it is used for simple types of cryptography because a same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the secret message.Everybody who should have access to the agency is given a copy of the keyput new information in, take old information outif you send somebody a copy of the key by way of the Post Office, somebody working(a) at the Post Office could intercept this keyallow them to access this same locked room, and do the same things with itletting them read everything you locked up with that key, regular letting them modify it. (Wooledge , 2000) The Public Key Cryptography is more labyrinthine because in this type of cryptography there are two keys used and together, they are called a key pair.The key used to encrypt is called the public key, which can be given to anyone in order to send information to the owner of the private key, which will be used to decrypt information sent to him. The most common example of this is the use of electronic mail over the internet, also known as electronic mail. The public key is an email address which one gives out to his friends. This allows them to send information to the holder of the secret key, the owner of the email address, the only one who has the password to open and fork over the information sent to him or her.(Wooledge , 2000) A One Time detonate is used to send high security messages such as national secrets and is considered the only perfect encryption in the world. In this type of encryption, some(prenominal) the sender and receiver has a copy of the pad to be used as a symmetric key to hide and unhide a message sent over a secure line and destroys them after it has been used. A good example of this is the one seen in Mission Impossible movies, wherein Ethan take to the woods receives messages that self-destruct. (Wooledge , 2000)For the sake of totality, it would be best to include Steganography, the science of hiding information from people who would spy on a person. This type of encryption is designed not to let spies know that there is indeed a something hidden in a certain message. It is very effective, but only used occasionally. (Wooledge , 2000) Along with the internet, there is a large growth in the categorization of forms of electronic communications, making its security very important. There are a number of enumerated uses for Cryptography such as protection of e-mail messages, assurance card information, corporate and other important information.(Jupiter Media Corporation, 2004) After a drawing background on Cryptography, readers would come to know why it is important to use them in their daily activities. The following are common concerns, goals or objectives that respond the above stated question. Message Confidentiality Encrypted messages would only be understood by intended recepients of a certain message. If a sender would want to hide certain information from the pu blic or from someone in particular, it would be best that cryptography is used.In that manner, only the receiver would have the key to depict the message into a useful and understandable one. Message Integrity If an encrypted message is intercepted and changed during the sending process, it would easily be known by the receiver, which secures its integrity. Sender certification It would be possible to make sure of the identities of both sender and recepient of the message. With cryptography, the receiver would be able to verify the true identity of the sender, along with the foundation and destination of the message.Sender Non-Repudiation This would prevent a sender from denying an intention to send and that he or she is the true sender of the said message. (Wikibooks, 2007) Though these cryptographic procedures are effective enough to achieve the goals, and concerns mentioned, it is still important for receivers and specially senders to practice caution such as creating a passw ord with a very strong integrity, logging off private systems when they are not being used by the owner and keeping all private information to oneself. (Pawliw, 2006) Works Cited Cryptography. (2006).In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Web. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from http//www. m-w. com/cgi-bin/dictionary? book=Dictionary&va=cryptography Cryptography. (2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Web. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Cryptography Pawliw, B (2006, January 13). Cryptography. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from Search Security. com Web site http//searchsecurity. techtarget. com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci214431,00. html Wikibooks, (2006, November 1).Cryptography/History of Cryptography. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from Wikibooks, the Open-Content Textbooks collection Web site http//en. wikibooks. org/wiki/Cryptography/History_of_Cryptography Wikibooks, (2007, January 10). Cryptograp hy/Introduction. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from Wikibooks, the Open-Content Textbooks Collection Web site http//en. wikibooks. org/wiki/Cryptography/Introduction Wooledge , G (2000, October 11). What types of cryptography are there?. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from wooledge. org Web site http//wooledge. org/greg/crypto/node5. html