Cryptography

Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for securing communication and information from adversaries. It involves the use of algorithms and protocols to protect data confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation.

Examples of cryptography include:

  • Symmetric Key Cryptography: Both the sender and receiver use the same key for encryption and decryption. An example is the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm.
  • Asymmetric Key Cryptography: Utilizes a pair of keys—a public key for encryption and a Private Key for decryption. RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is a widely used example.
  • Hash Functions: These convert data into a fixed-size string of characters, which is typically a digest that represents the original data. Examples include SHA-256 and MD5.

Use cases of cryptography include:

  • Secure Communications: Encrypting emails or messages to protect them from interception.
  • Data Protection: Securing sensitive data stored on devices or in the cloud through encryption.
  • Digital Signatures: Verifying the authenticity of digital messages or documents using asymmetric cryptography.