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Cryptography Week4 Part1

The document provides an overview of cryptography, detailing key concepts such as symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing functions, and the differences between encryption and hashing. It explains the roles of ciphers in encrypting and decrypting data and includes practical exercises on basic encryption techniques like the Caesar Cipher. Overall, it emphasizes the importance of cryptography in ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity.

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Edmund Obinna
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views

Cryptography Week4 Part1

The document provides an overview of cryptography, detailing key concepts such as symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing functions, and the differences between encryption and hashing. It explains the roles of ciphers in encrypting and decrypting data and includes practical exercises on basic encryption techniques like the Caesar Cipher. Overall, it emphasizes the importance of cryptography in ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity.

Uploaded by

Edmund Obinna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cryptography

Content
 Introduction to Cryptography
 Key Cryptographic Concepts
 Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Encryption
 Overview of hashing functions and applications
 Difference between encryption and hashing
 Ciphers
 Practical: Exercise on Basic Encryption and Decryption
Introduction to Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice of using mathematics and computers to create

secure communication by hiding the contents of messages from third

parties. The science of breaking encrypted messages is called cryptanalysis.

Cryptography is also the practice and study of techniques for securing

communication and information from adversaries. It ensures confidentiality,

integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation of data.


Key Cryptographic Concepts
Encryption: Encryption is a method of protecting data by scrambling it into a

secret code that can only be unlocked with a unique digital key. The original

representation of the information is called plaintext, while the encrypted form

is called ciphertext
Decryption: Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data into a

readable format. It's the opposite of encryption, which is the process of

converting readable data into an encrypted format. It is also the process of

converting an encrypted message back to its original (readable) format


Symmetric Encryption
Symmetric encryption is a type of cryptography that uses the same key to

encrypt and decrypt data. It's also known as "private key" encryption because

the key must be kept private. Symmetric encryption is often used for high-

volume data processing because it's faster and more efficient than other

types of encryption. it is also ideal for real-time applications like video

streaming and secure communications


Asymmetric Encryption
Asymmetric encryption is a method of encrypting and decrypting data using

two keys, a public key and a private key. It's also known as public key

cryptography. Asymmetric encryption is different from symmetric encryption,

which uses a single secret key to both encrypt and decrypt information.
Differences between symmetric and
asymmetric Encryption
Symmetric Encryption:
Uses the same key for both encryption and decryption.
Faster and simpler, but key management can be challenging.
Examples: AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), DES (Data Encryption
Standard).

Asymmetric Encryption:
Uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.
Ensures secure communication even if the encryption key (public key) is shared
openly.
Examples: RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman), ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography).
Hash Functions
A hash function is a mathematical algorithm that converts a variable number

of characters into a fixed number of characters. The fixed number of

characters is called a hash value or hash.


Characteristics and Applications of a good
hash function
Characteristics

i. Same input always produces the same output.

ii. Quick to calculate the hash value.

iii. Impossible to retrieve the original data from the hash.

iv. No two different inputs should produce the same hash.

Applications

i. Password Storage

ii. Verifying data integrity

iii. Digital signatures


Difference Between Encryption and
Hashing
Encryption and hashing are both techniques used in cryptography, but they serve

different purposes. Encryption is a reversible process designed to protect the

confidentiality of data by converting plaintext into ciphertext using an encryption

algorithm and a key.

hashing is a one-way process that takes an input (or message) and generates a

fixed-length output, known as a hash or digest. Unlike encryption, hashing is

irreversible here is no way to retrieve the original data from the hash.
Ciphers
Ciphers, also called encryption algorithms, are systems for encrypting and

decrypting data. A cipher converts the original message, called plaintext, into

ciphertext using a key to determine how it is done.

Types of Ciphers

Transposition cipher
Caesar cipher
Substitution cipher
Affine cipher
Hill cipher

Personal research : find the meaning of these types of ciphers and how they work
Practical: Exercise on Basic Encryption
and Decryption
 Objective:
 Understand encryption and decryption through simple ciphers like the Caesar
Cipher.
 Exercise: Caesar Cipher
1. Encryption:
1. Shift each letter of the plain text by a fixed number of positions in the alphabet.
2. Example:
1. Plain Text: HELLO
2. Key: 3
3. Ciphertext: KHOOR
 Decryption:
• Reverse the shift to retrieve the original text.
• Example:
• Ciphertext: KHOOR
• Key: 3
• Plain Text: HELLO
Conclusion
In conclusion, cryptography forms the backbone of modern cybersecurity,

ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data. Encryption,

whether symmetric or asymmetric, protects sensitive information by making it

unreadable to unauthorized parties, while hashing verifies data integrity

through irreversible transformations.

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