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Chapter: 11.7 Cryptography

Topic: 11.7.1 Cryptography

Cryptography
• The word crypto is derived from the Greek world called Kryptos.

• Cryptography is a method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form so

that only those for whom it is intended can read and process it.
• The term 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).

FIG 11.2: Cryptography Process

Plaintext
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• In cryptography, plain text refers to any message that is not encrypted. Contrast
with cipher text.

Encryption

• Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, called a ciphertext that cannot
be easily understood by unauthorized people.

Decryption

• Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form,
so it can be understood.

Ciphertext

• Ciphertext (or Cyphertext) is the result of encryption performed on plaintext using

an algorithm, called a cipher.
Cryptanalysis

• Cryptanalysis refers to the study of ciphers, ciphertext or cryptosystems for

finding the plaintext and/ or key.
• Cryptanalysis is the decryption and analysis of codes, ciphers or encrypted text.
Cryptanalysis uses mathematical formulas to search for algorithm vulnerabilities
and break into cryptography or information security systems.
Cryptology

• Cryptology is the study of mathematics, linguistics, and other coding patterns.

Cryptology = Cryptography+Cryptanalysis

• Cryptology as number theory, and its application of formulas and algorithms, that
underpin the cryptography and cryptanalysis.

Encryption
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• Encryption is the process of converting the original data (plaintext) into some
other format using the key called cipher text/secret word system data into a
secret code.
• Encryption is the effective way to achieve data security.
• To read an encrypted file, you must have an access rights to the secret key that
enables you to decrypt it.
• Original data/decrypted data is referred to as plaintext, and Encrypted data is
referred to as cipher text.
• To understand the concept of encryption, refer FIG 1.2.

FIG 11.3: Encryption and Decryption process

Decryption

• Decryption is the reverse process of Encryption that converts the ciphertext into
plaintext information that has been encrypted in secret format.
• Recovering plaintext from ciphertext.
• Decryption requires a secret key to recover information.
• To understand the concept of decryption, refer FIG 11.3.
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Ciphers

• Ciphers is a secret system of writing that you/we use to send message.

• It's an algorithm for converting plain text to ciphertext
• In the cipher, data has been encrypted.
• Ciphertext is unreadable until it has been converted into plaintext (decrypted)
with a key.

Key

• A key is a variable/ value that is applied using an algorithm to a string or block of

plain text to produce encrypted text or to decrypt the encrypted text.
• The information (key) used in cipher is known to sender / receiver only.
• The length of the key is a factor in considering how difficult it will be to decrypt
the text in a given message.