Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for securing communication and data.
Confidentiality:
Cryptography is widely used to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information. By encrypting data, even if it is intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties, it remains unreadable and protected. Common encryption algorithms include Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Triple DES.
Integrity:
Cryptography helps maintain the integrity of data by providing methods for detecting any unauthorized changes. Hash functions are commonly used for data integrity. By comparing the hash value of the original data with the recalculated hash value, users can verify whether the data has been tampered with.
Authentication:
Cryptography plays a crucial role in authenticating the identity of users, systems, and entities in a network. Digital signatures use asymmetric cryptography to verify the origin and integrity of messages or files. This ensures that the sender is who they claim to be and that the data has not been altered.
Non-Repudiation:
Non-repudiation is the assurance that a party involved in a communication cannot deny the authenticity or origin of a message or action. Digital signatures provide a means of non-repudiation, as the signature is unique to the sender and can be verified by the recipient.
Key Management:
Cryptography involves the management of cryptographic keys, which are essential for both encryption and decryption processes. Effective key management ensures that keys are securely generated, distributed, stored, and rotated as needed. Public key infrastructure (PKI) is often employed for key management in secure communications.
Secure Communication:
In secure communication over networks, cryptography is used to protect data as it traverses the network. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and its successor, Transport Layer Security (TLS), are cryptographic protocols that provide secure communication over the internet. They encrypt data during transmission, securing it against eavesdropping.
Password Storage:
Cryptographic techniques are applied to store passwords securely. Instead of storing actual passwords, systems often store hash values of passwords, making it more difficult for attackers to obtain user credentials even if they gain access to the password database.
Data at Rest Protection:
Cryptography is employed to protect data stored on devices, servers, or in databases. Full disk encryption and file-level encryption are examples of measures used to secure data at rest. If the physical storage is compromised, the encrypted data remains unreadable without the decryption key.
Tokenization:
Cryptographic tokenization is used to protect sensitive information by replacing it with a non-sensitive equivalent, called a token. This is commonly used in payment systems, where the actual credit card number is replaced by a token, reducing the risk associated with storing sensitive financial data.
Homomorphic Encryption:
Homomorphic encryption is an advanced cryptographic technique that allows computation on encrypted data without decrypting it first. This enables operations to be performed on sensitive data while maintaining its confidentiality.
Quantum Cryptography:
With the emergence of quantum computing, quantum cryptography is being explored as a means to secure communications against potential threats posed by quantum computers. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is one example, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics for secure key exchange.
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