How does cryptography work?
As the name suggests, cryptography is the science that deploys the use of arithmetic to encrypt then decrypt information. This allows one to stock subtle data or enable transit of this information from some of the insecure networks like the internet. To allow the use for the authorized personnel only. According to Fruhlinger (pg 2), the cryptography uses the encryption keys that differentiate it from normal users. This makes the process more of cryptography. These keys ake data presented through a different process like the transaction harder to read to unauthorized personnel but more readable to the targetted recipient.
However, this secret information may not apply to different cryptocurrencies, as they tend to involve participation from the public. These include the bitcoin transaction. However, the confidentiality and integrity of the cryptographic protocols include the SSL/TLSassist in protecting the information from unauthorized people ( Fruhlinger,pg 8). The authenticity protection gives the assurance that the people using the software are having a conversation as intended.
Cryptography is used In protecting different data that are at rest. This may include the different information available in the removable disks or in a database that is encrypted to avoid the discovery of very sensitive data in case of loss o when the physical devices are in the wrong hand. This significantly can be used to protect the data whenever it detects tampering from evil hands.
Methods used in cryptocurrency.
Cryptography on its own does not perform much in availability, but it deploys different forms of digital cryptography that aid in achieving different cryptography goals. The forms include symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, and hash functions.
Symmetric encryption .encryption is making the information unreadable to the unauthorized parties who are using the cipher. In the process of symmetric encryption, the process uses the same keys to enable data encryption (Bernsteinan pg 8) .However, it’s mostly used to keep the data confidential. It also helps keep a local drive very private. For example, in a case where when the user is encrypting and decrypting the data which is protected, they may not have a problem sharing the secrete key. This secrete key is also used when one is keeping the messages that are transmitted online confidential. This, however, can be highly achieved by deploying the other step two of cryptography.
Assymmetric encryption cryptography, functions with different two types of cryptography different keys that it operates under (Bernsteinan pg 11) One is the public which can be shared with any party who is willing to communicate with. This public key is mostly used in the encrypting of messages. While there is also a private key that is similarly used to decrypt the messages, and, personally, no one can share it with the other party, as it is considered personal and private. There is a principle that allows both the two keys to work better, is because the two keys relate well to each other mathematically, in a way that is deriving a public key from the private key is easier and likewise. For example, to derive a public number from a private number, you need to multiply large prime numbers together to get a public key.
Computing public-key cryptography is complex, and it requires many resources; however, the good news is that one may not need it to protect every information you may be sent on the online platform. Nonetheless, one may decide to custom public-key cryptography to encrypt a message which contains an additional cryptographic key. However, the key will be used to transmit transversely the uncertain internet. It will later be the private key used to encode the longer communications sessions encrypted through the secret key encryption (Bernsteinan pg 12). However, these public keys play a part in ensuring the information transmitted is confidential. They also form a set of bigger utilities known as the public key infrastructure, which creates a way that a person can be indisputable that the given key is linked with an institution or a particular person. And any messages that are translated with a public key always authorize the sender and create anon-repudiation and authentication.
Finally, the hash function is used to authenticate data proficiently through data transmission integrity on different networks. When one uses the hash functions, no two plain texts will produce the same hash. For one to ensure data integrity, the use of hash algorithms is an added advantage. A message can be sent laterally with its algorithm on the text message. Whereas when the has which is produced is different from the one used to accompany the message, one will be able to tell the message has gone through modification in transit. Hashing, however, also assists in indemnifying the password is very secure. Identity theft is majorly caused when people tend to like to store their passwords in plaintext. Instead, one would choose to store information in a muted version of a user’s PIN. It is a safe way where the hackers may not access the information, even if they succeed in breaching a person’s defenses.
Work cited
Fruhlinger, Josh. What Is Cryptography? How Algorithms Keep Information Secret And Safe Public Keys, Private Keys, And Hash Functions Make The Secure Internet Possible.. 2021, https://www.csoonline.com/article/3583976/what-is-cryptography-how-algorithms-keep-information-secret-and-safe.html. Accessed 1 Dec 2021.
Bernsteinan, Daniel. How Does Cryptography Work? 2021-10-21. 2021, https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/sodium/vignettes/crypto101.html. Accessed 1 Dec 2021.