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History of Cryptography and types in digital security |
Introduction
Cryptography is among the pillars of digital security and it
enables secure communication, protection of data and trust in the contemporary
networks. Since the time of primitive techniques of sending messages through
ciphers to the present-day algorithms of high complexity, cryptography has
developed together with the development of technologies and the necessity to
secure the safety of a piece of important information.
Cryptography in digital era guarantees confidentiality,
integrity, authentication and non-repudiation, which are fundamental components
that enable organizations, governments, and individuals to protect data against
the cyber threats. The historical background and the different forms of
cryptography that are currently in use are relevant in understanding why it has
been crucial in the modern cybersecurity.
The Early History of Cryptography
The history of cryptography goes several thousand years back
because of the necessity to secure military communications and political
secrets. The Egyptian use of non-standard hieroglyphics circa 1900 BCE is one
of the oldest known examples, in which the meaning of significant inscriptions
was hidden. The scuttle was later invented by the ancient Greeks; this device
wrapped messages around the rod to give a simple transposition cipher. The
higher the development of the civilizations, the higher the development of
their cryptographic means.
Another better known early cryptographic system was the
Caesar cipher that was developed by Julius Caesar and which he employed to
deliver secure military messages. This was a cipher that changed the positions
of letters in the alphabet by a set number of letters and thus rendered the
messages illegible to unintended individuals. In spite of being plain in modern
terms, the Caesar cipher paved the way to fundamental principles of
substitution in present-day encryption.
In the ninth century, an Arab mathematician called Al-Kindi
contributed immensely by inventing the concept of frequency analysis which
formed the basis of systematically breaking substitution ciphers. His efforts
led to the emergence of cryptanalysis as a field and evidence of the eternal
war between code makers and code breakers.
Renaissance and cryptography of the
Middle Ages
The cryptography gained greater significance to diplomacy
and warfare in the middle Ages. Ciphertext was used by monarchs, generals and
religious leaders to secure their communications. More complicated
monoalphabetic and polyalphabetic ciphers also appeared, such as the Vigenere
cipher which initially was thought to be indestructible because several
substitution alphabets were used. The Vigenere cipher despite the fact that it
was later on solved centuries later marked a major breakthrough given the fact
that key length and complexity are crucial factors as far as the use of a
cipher is concerned.
By the renaissance, cryptography was a recognized science.
The innovations were noted by other scholars like Leon Battista Alberti, who
came up with innovations such as cipher disks and polyalphabetic systems, which
complicated the process of decryption. Such developments demonstrate how
cryptographic systems were becoming more sophisticated and the need to improve
security in order to be ahead of the foe.
Cryptography in the XX Century
The 20th century recorded the adventurous developments in
cryptography, which were fueled by the world wars and accelerated technological
developments. The use of mechanical encryption devices was common during World
War I though World War II was the one that revolutionized the field. The German
military used their Enigma machine, an electro-mechanical rotor machine that
was used widely in encryption of messages.
After the war cryptography started moving towards the
electronic system. With the invention of computers, mathematical algorithms
could be developed that were much more complex than those that were ever
utilized before. In 1977, the Data Encryption Standard (DES) was now a federal
encryption standard of the U.S. government. Though this was superseded by more
secure ciphers, the system introduced the concept of modern cryptography of the
digital world and how electronic communications could be secured.
The Digital Age of Cryptography
Nowadays, online activities have to be secured with the help
of cryptography due to the dynamically increasing internet and digital
communications. The development of e-commerce, online banking, cloud computing,
and mobile communication demand that sensitive data is protected all the time.
Web traffic is encrypted by using cryptographic protocols like the use of the
Secure Socket Layer/ Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) and the use of
technologies like digital certificates creates a level of trust between a
client and a server.
Symmetric Key Cryptography
Symmetric key cryptography entails the sharing of a key,
which is utilized in encrypting and decrypting a message. The technique is
quick and effective, and it is suitable to encrypt massive data. The use of
modern symmetric algorithm like Advanced encryption standard (AES) is highly
utilized to secure sensitive information in government systems, cloud systems,
and secure communication channels. The key weakness of the symmetric encryption
is the ability to safely distribute the key among the parties, particularly
over entrusted networks. Nevertheless, its speed and strength have been a core
element of most security systems despite this challenge.
Asymmetric Key Cryptography Asymmetric cryptography appears
in various forms, including the RSA system and the Knapsch-Meier system.
Public-key cryptography or asymmetric key cryptography,
involves two keys: a public key in which data are coded and a private key in
which they are decoded. This method will do away with securing the key sharing
and provide the possibility of securing communication even between parties who
have never seen each other. Giving prime numbers that are large and difficult
to factor RSA is the most famous asymmetric algorithm.
Hash Functions -Cryptography
Hashing cryptographic functions have a very crucial role in
data integrity and authentication. A hash algorithm is a function that converts
data into a fixed-size string known as a hash value which is unique to the
original input. A single bit of alteration in the input data results in a
totally new hash and it does not take long to notice any form of manipulation.
The application of hash functions is common in passwords, digital signatures,
blockchain, and file verification. SHA-256 algorithms are very resistant to
collision attacks hence they are an acceptable element in a secure system.
The Future of Cryptography
New threats need to be met by cryptography as technology is
evolving. Quantum computing presents a possible threat to the existing
cryptographic techniques, especially the cryptographic techniques based on
mathematical problems those quantum computers may be more efficient at solving.
To counter such threats in the future, researchers are creating post-quantum
cryptographic algorithms, which are resistant to such a threat. In the
meantime, there are additional developments of cryptography to emerging fields,
including blockchain and crypto currencies and privacy-enhancing systems based
on more complex mathematical operations.
Conclusion
Cryptography has evolved into an advanced mathematical
computation that has rendered the digital world safe as opposed to the
primitive ciphers of the ancient times. The history of its use is characterized
by the constant confrontation of code makers with code breakers, which makes
the innovation and reinforcement of security systems.
Cryptography ensures the security of all forms of digital
communication today, including personal messages down to international
financial dealings. The history of cryptography and the various forms of
cryptographic techniques such as the symmetric, asymmetric, hashing, and
digital signatures help the individuals and organizations to appreciate its
significance and use it appropriately in securing the current digital
infrastructure.
