Meaning of cryptography (what is it, concept and definition)

What is Cryptography:

Cryptography is, in general terms, the art and technique of creating messages encoded with procedures or secret keys so that it cannot be decrypted except by the person to whom it is addressed or who holds the key.

The word, as such, is formed from the Greek term κρυπτός (kryptós), which means 'hidden', and -graphy, suffix that means 'writing'.

The objective of cryptography is, therefore, to protect the information sent, so that only the recipient or the people who hold the key can read the message correctly. For this, encryption systems are designed that are only known to authorized persons.

Cryptography was born in antiquity, as a consequence of wars, due to the need that the opposing factions had that their messages could not be read or deciphered by their enemies. Hence, then, they created codes or keys for it.

The discipline that deals with the study and research of encryption techniques is called cryptology. For their part, it is the cryptographers who try to research and develop encryption techniques based on the use of mathematics. While cryptanalysis is dedicated to the study of cryptographic systems in order to violate them.

In modern times, cryptography has evolved considerably when applied to computing in order to safeguard the security of communications and information shared primarily through the internet.

Computer cryptography

In computing, cryptography refers to the technique of codes and encrypted writing systems to protect the transmission of private information, so that for those who do not possess the key it is illegible or practically impossible to decrypt. Cryptography, in addition to protecting the integrity of the web, allows preserving the security of users, communications and operations carried out over the internet. The main purpose of cryptography, then, is to guarantee the privacy of the information that is shared through the network.

Cryptography can be:

Symmetric cryptography

Method in which the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt messages, so that both parties, both the sender and the receiver, must have the same key. For example: the authentication of a cell phone with GSM technology.

Asymmetric cryptography

It is a method in which two keys are used, one public and the other private. The public key can be accessed by anyone, while the private key is only accessible by its owner.