KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA | JAZAN

UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE &

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

2019-2020, SECOND SEMESTER

CREPTOGRAPHY

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Introduction

The word cryptography has come from a Greek word, which means secret writing. In the present
day context it refers to the tools and techniques used to make messages secure for
communication between the participants and make messages immune to attacks by hackers. For
private communication through public network, cryptography plays a very crucial role. The role
of cryptography can be illustrated with the help a simple model of cryptography as shown in Fig.
8.1.1. The message to be sent through an unreliable medium is known as plaintext, which is
encrypted before sending over the medium. The encrypted message is known as ciphertext,
which is received at the other end of the medium and decrypted to get back the original plaintext
message. In this lesson we shall discuss various cryptography algorithms, which can be divided
into two broad categorize - Symmetric key cryptography and Public key cryptography.

Definition: Cryptography is associated with the process of converting ordinary plain text into
unintelligible text and vice-versa. It 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. Cryptography not only
protects data from theft or alteration, but can also be used for user authentication.

Description: Earlier cryptography was effectively synonymous with encryption but nowadays
cryptography is mainly based on mathematical theory and computer science practice.

Modern cryptography concerns with:

Confidentiality - Information cannot be understood by anyone

Integrity - Information cannot be altered.

Non-repudiation - Sender cannot deny his/her intentions in the transmission of the information at
a later stage

Authentication - Sender and receiver can confirm each

Cryptography is used in many applications like banking transactions cards, computer passwords,
and e- commerce transactions.

Features Of Cryptography are as follows:

 1. Confidentiality:
Information can only be accessed by the person for whom it is intended and no other
person except him can access it.
2. Integrity:
Information cannot be modified in storage or transition between sender and intended
receiver without any addition to information being detected.
3. Non-repudiation:
The creator/sender of information cannot deny his or her intention to send information at
later stage.
4. Authentication:
The identities of sender and receiver are confirmed. As well as destination/origin of
information is confirmed.

Types Of Cryptographic

Three types of cryptographic techniques used in general.

1. Symmetric-key cryptography

2. Hash functions.

3. Public-key cryptography

Symmetric-key Cryptography: Both the sender and receiver share a single key. The sender
uses this key to encrypt plaintext and send the cipher text to the receiver. On the other side the
receiver applies the same key to decrypt the message and recover the plain text.
Public-Key Cryptography:

This is the most revolutionary concept in the last 300-400 years. In Public-Key Cryptography
two related keys (public and private key) are used. Public key may be freely distributed, while its
paired private key, remains a secret. The public key is used for encryption and for decryption
private key is used.
Hash Functions:

No key is used in this algorithm. A fixed-length hash value is computed as per the plain text that
makes it impossible for the contents of the plain text to be recovered. Hash functions are also
used by many operating systems to encrypt passwords.

PGP uses a cryptographically strong hash function on the plaintext the user is signing. This
generates a fixed-length data item known as a message digest. (Again, any change to the
information results in a totally different digest.)Then PGP uses the digest and the private key to
create the “signature.” PGP transmits the signature and the plaintext together. Upon receipt of the
message, the recipient uses PGP to recompute the digest, thus verifying the signature. PGP can
encrypt the plaintext or not; signing plaintext is useful if some of the recipients are not interested
in or capable of verifying the signature.As long as a secure hash function is used, there is no way
to take someone’s signature from one document and attach it to another, or to alter a signed
message in any way. The slightest change to a signed document will cause the digital signature
verification process to fail.
CONCLUSION

Cryptography is a particularly interesting field because of the amount of work that is, by
necessity, done in secret. The irony is that secrecy is not the key to the goodness of a
cryptographic algorithm. Regardless of the mathematical theory behind an algorithm, the best
algorithms are those that are well-known and well-documented because they are also well-tested
and well-studied! In fact, time is the only true test of good cryptography; any cryptographic
scheme that stays in use year after year is most likely a good one. The strength of cryptography
lies in the choice (and management) of the keys; longer keys will resist attack better than shorter
keys.