Introduction to the Cryptography and its Functions

Cryptography is the technique of securing information and communication by using codes to

ensure that only authorized individuals can access and understand the data. It plays a crucial
role in maintaining privacy, guaranteeing secrecy, and protecting data from unauthorised
access.

The main function of cryptography is to provide confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and

non-repudiation of data. Let's explore these functions in more detail:

1. Confidentiality: Cryptography ensures the confidentiality of data by encrypting it.

Encryption converts the original data into an unreadable format, and only those who
possess the decryption key can decipher and access the information. This prevents
unauthorised parties from understanding the contents of the message.
2. Integrity: Cryptography helps in maintaining the integrity of data by providing
mechanisms to detect any unauthorised modifications or tampering. Hash functions
are commonly used to generate a unique fixed-size string of data, known as a hash
value. By comparing this value before and after transmission, one can verify the
integrity of the data.
3. Authentication: Cryptography facilitates authentication, which ensures that the
communicating parties are who they claim to be. Techniques like digital signatures
and certificates allow for the verification of the sender's identity and the integrity of
the transmitted data.
4. Non-repudiation: Cryptography helps establish non-repudiation, which means that a
sender cannot deny sending a message or performing a specific action. Digital
signatures serve as evidence of the authenticity of a message, preventing the sender
from denying their involvement.

Overall, cryptography is employed to safeguard sensitive information, protect online

transactions, secure communication channels, and ensure the trustworthiness of digital
systems.

Steganography
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Steganography is the practice of hiding information within another message or object to
avoid detection. It can be used to hide any type of digital content, including Text, Images,
Videos, Audio, and Network traffic.
The hidden data is then extracted at its destination. Steganography can be used along with
cryptography as an extra-secure method to protect data.
Some types of steganography include:
 Text steganography: Conceals a secret message inside a piece of text
 Image steganography: Encodes secret information within a digital image
 Audio steganography: Hides a secret message into the audio
 Video steganography: Secretly embeds data or other files within a video file

Some techniques used in steganography include:

 Backmasking: Hides a message in the audio file that can only be heard when played
backwards
 Watermarking: Encrypts one piece of data (the message) within another (the "carrier")
 Least Significant Bit (LSB) technique: Conceals data by altering the last few bits in a
byte required to encode a message

The reverse process of steganography is called steganalysis. Steganalysis aims to determine

whether a file contains a secret message and if so, what the hidden information is.

Encryption & Decryption

Encryption is the process of converting readable data into an unreadable form. Decryption is
the process of converting encrypted data back to its original readable format. The science of
encrypting and decrypting information is called cryptography.
Encryption
 Plaintext: The original representation of the data
 Ciphertext: The alternate representation of the data
 Encryption systems:
o Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
o Triple DES
o Blowfish
o Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)
Decryption
 Reverse encryption process: Use the same algorithm, key, or password
 Asymmetric encryption: Uses two keys: a public key for encryption and a private key
for decryption
 Symmetric encryption: Uses one key for both encryption and decryption.

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Encryption is the process of converting normal data into ciphertext to protect it, while decryption
is the process of converting the ciphertext back into its original plaintext form. Together, they
form the basis of secure communication and data protection in cryptography.

Symmetric key Cryptography and Asymmetric key

Cryptography

Symmetric Key Encryption Asymmetric Key Encryption

It requires two keys, a public key and a

It only requires a single key for both
private key, one to encrypt and the
encryption and decryption.
other one to decrypt.

The size of cipher text is the same or The size of cipher text is the same or
smaller than the original plain text. larger than the original plain text.

The encryption process is very fast. The encryption process is slow.

It is used when a large amount of data is It is used to transfer small amounts of

required to transfer. data.

It provides confidentiality, authenticity,

It only provides confidentiality.
and non-repudiation.

The length of key used is 2048 or

The length of key used is 128 or 256 bits
higher

In symmetric key encryption, resource

In asymmetric key encryption, resource
utilization is low as compared to
utilization is high.
asymmetric key encryption.

It is efficient as it is used for handling It is comparatively less efficient as it

large amount of data. can handle a small amount of data.

Security is less as only one key is used It is more secure as two keys are used
for both encryption and decryption here- one for encryption and the other
purpose. for decryption.

The Mathematical Representation is as The Mathematical Representation is as

follows- follows-
P = D (K, E(K, P)) P = D(Kd, E (Ke,P))

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 Symmetric Key Encryption Asymmetric Key Encryption

where K –> encryption and decryption where Ke –> encryption key

key Kd –> decryption key
P –> plain text D –> Decryption
D –> Decryption E(Ke, P) –> Encryption of plain text
E(K, P) –> Encryption of plain text using using encryption key Ke. P –> plain
K text

Examples: Diffie-Hellman, ECC, El

Examples: 3DES, AES, DES and RC4
Gamal, DSA and RSA

Symmetric key cryptography and asymmetric key cryptography are both encryption
schemes. Symmetric key cryptography uses a single key for both encryption and
decryption. Asymmetric key cryptography uses a public-private key pair, where one key
encrypts and the other decrypts.

Symmetric key cryptography is more efficient and faster than asymmetric key
cryptography. It's often used for encrypting large amounts of data, such as in databases. It's
also been used in the past for secret communication between governments and militaries.

Symmetric key cryptography is used for:

 Secret communication: In the past, governments and militaries used symmetric key
cryptography for secret communication.
 Data security: Symmetric key algorithms are used in computer systems to enhance
data security.
 Bulk data encryption: Symmetric algorithms are well suited for encrypting large
amounts of data.
Asymmetric key cryptography is used for:
 Digital signatures: To authenticate data
 Key exchange: To exchange encryption keys
 Email security: To secure emails
 Web security: To secure websites
 TLS/SSL handshake: To verify website server authenticity

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Symmetric
Encryption in Cryptography
Pros Cons

Fast Symmetric encryption is fast & Key must be kept secret The key must be
efficient for large amounts of data. kept secret, which can be challenging when
encryption and decryption take place in
different locations

Easy to understand Symmetric encryption is

simple and easy to understand.

Secure symmetric encryption is essentially The receiver must get the key, the receiver
unbreakable. must get the secret key from the sender.

Low resource usage symmetric encryption Can’t create digital signature it is not
requires low computer resources. possible to create digital signatures that
cannot be revoked.

Symmetric encryption uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. The key is a secret
value that both the sender and the receiver must know and keep safe.

There are two basic types of symmetric encryption:

 Stream: Encrypts messages a character at a time.
 Block: Breaks messages up into known-sized pieces.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Asymmetric
Encryption in Cryptography
Advantages Disadvantages

Secure key exchange: parties can use each Slower than the symmetric encryption.
other’s public keys to encrypt & share their
symmetric keys.

No need to exchange keys: Eliminates the More Complex: not the best solution for
need to exchange secret keys. bulk encryption.

Increased security: Private keys don’t need More-resource-intensive: requires lager key
to be transmitted or revealed to anyone. sizes.

No way to retrieve lost private keys: if the

private key is lost, there is no way to
retrieve it.

Commonly used Cryptographic Algorithms: DES / RSA

DES ( Data Encryption Standard)

The Data Encryption Standard (DES) is a symmetric-key algorithm that encrypts data. It was
developed by IBM in the 1970s and accepted by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NSIT).

Here are some key points about DES:

 Block cipher: DES is a block cipher that encrypts data in 64-bit blocks.
 Key length: DES uses a 56-bit key.
 Encryption and decryption: DES uses the same key for encryption and decryption.
 Block size: DES converts a plaintext bit of fixed length into a ciphertext bit string,
keeping its length unchanged.
 Initial permutation: This step rearranges bits in a predefined way to make passing data
into encryption machines easier.
 Properties: DES satisfies two properties that make it a strong cipher:
o Avalanche effect: A small change in plaintext results in a large change in the ciphertext.
o Completeness: Each bit of ciphertext depends on many bits of plaintext.

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DES was once the go-to algorithm for encrypting electronic data, but it has been superseded
by the more secure Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.

RSA ( )

The RSA algorithm is a public-key encryption technique that uses two keys: one public and
one private. The algorithm was developed by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard
Adleman. Their paper was published in 1977.

Here are some key points about the RSA algorithm:

 Steps: The algorithm involves four steps: key generation, key distribution, encryption, and
decryption.
 Security: RSA is considered a secure way of encryption. It's safe for exchanging data over the
internet and maintains data confidentiality.
 Key length: RSA can work with keys of different lengths, including 1024, 2048, 3072, 4096, 8129,
and 16384 bits. Longer keys provide higher security but consume more computing time.
 Use: RSA allows you to secure messages before sending them and certify notes so recipients know
they haven't been altered.

Hybrid Encryption in Cryptography

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In cryptography, hybrid encryption is a method that combines the efficiency of
symmetric-key encryption with the convenience of public-key encryption. Hybrid
encryption is used to encrypt large amounts of data to a public key.

Hybrid encryption works by:

 Exchanging a symmetric key: Using asymmetric encryption to exchange a symmetric
key between the sender and receiver
 Encrypting and decrypting data: Using symmetric encryption to encrypt and decrypt
the data
Hybrid encryption achieves both speed and security while avoiding the problems
of key distribution and management.
Hybrid encryption aims to produce a more secure, better performance, and robust
algorithm than applying basic ciphers individually.

Electronic Signature
A digital signature in cryptography is a cryptographic output that verifies the
authenticity of data. It's a value calculated from data and a secret key that only the
signer knows.
Digital signatures have the following properties:
 Unforgeable
 Authentic
 Can't be modified once sent
 Not reusable
 Prevent repudiation
Digital signatures are important in businesses because they can help ensure that the
message belongs to the sender. However, they are not foolproof. They can be
compromised if the signer's private key is stolen or the certificate authority that
issued the digital certificate is untrustworthy.
Electronic signatures can take different forms, including:
 Typing your name
 Drawing your signature with a mouse or stylus
 Scanning your handwritten signature
The three types of electronic signatures are:
 Simple e-signatures (SESs)
 Advanced e-signatures (AdESs)
 Qualified e-signatures (QESs)

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Comparison between Electronic Signature and Digital
Signature
In cryptography, an electronic signature is a broad term for any electronic process that
indicates acceptance of a record or agreement. A digital signature is a more secure electronic
signature that is generated using a digital certificate.
Here's some more information about electronic signatures and digital signatures:
 Electronic signatures
Also known as e-signatures, these are the digital version of paper-based signatures. They
are used to sign electronic documents, such as contracts. Electronic signatures are
simpler and more accessible than digital signatures. However, they are less secure and
more vulnerable to tampering.
 Digital signatures
These are encrypted, electronic stamps of authentication on digital information. They are
used to protect documents and secure them with encryption standards. Digital signatures
are more secure than electronic signatures and provide a higher level of assurance that
the signature is genuine.