For years, data security in computer science has been a constant concern, so experts are looking for ways to ensure that no third party accesses data that is not authorized, and for this purpose they have applied knowledge from various sectors .
Cryptography is one of the oldest techniques in the world, and despite that it has found a second life in computer science, where its principles are used to protect data of all kinds.
In this article we will show you everything you need to know about it; from its most essential elements, to its classification and main objectives . At the end you can consider yourself an expert in a subject that will help you to know if you are interested in information security and similar issues.
Index:
What is cryptography and what are these technologies for?
Cryptography consists of different information coding techniques with the intention of protecting it from third parties . This is not something new at all, throughout history we humans have used these types of systems to protect information that we consider confidential, private or important. Julio Cesar of Rome himself created one of the first cryptographic systems to remember.
With the advent of computer science, cryptography is given a second life, which, although it was never an extinct sector, was a bit forgotten. By the 80s, cryptography was fully linked to computer science and since then the evolution of both has gone hand in hand . Every time a new storage system is developed, a new cryptographic technology is born.
Currently, even encrypted cryptographic networks have been developed that guarantee not only coding transactions, but even making them impossible to modify such as blockchain technology for example . This type of progress opens up a world of possibilities for the development of this sector, which could be even more everyday than it is now.
What is a cryptographic key in computing?
One of its most essential elements in computer science is the cryptographic keys. These are nothing more than a security code that serves to activate an algorithm that allows access to certain information. With them we interact constantly, either to log in to our social networks or to unlock our mobiles or laptops.
A cryptographic key is a credential that blocks access to information, but it does not encode the content of the message as such. There are two types of cryptographic keys and based on them they turn many encryption methods, these are :
- Private key : The private key is a password or code that only the person who protects the information or sets the encryption method knows.
- Public key : This is an address or code that may be in the public domain but does not indicate the type of information contained therein.
In addition to this, we must consider certain aspects that allow us to create secure keys. The first one is its length, which defines the number of characters that compose it . Secondly its randomness, which refers to the unusual of it. And finally its duration, which refers to the time that a key remains active.
What are the most important objectives of cryptography?
Cryptography sets three very important objectives. All of them are related to the security and integrity of the encrypted information and then you will know them all:
- Confidentiality: The main objective is that the information that is encrypted is kept confidential and that it is only managed by the user. This is a need that all humans have for our most valuable secrets in the personal or work environment.
- Integrity of data : the data we protect as well as being hidden must also be whole. Cryptography must ensure that applying its different techniques will not alter the content of the message that has been encoded.
- Binding: With a cryptographic key you also get the information to be linked to a single person or entity, which would be the one with the main rights to access it, in addition it is also possible to ensure that a transaction was carried out by a certain entity, which is the only one with the necessary data to perform it.
- Authentication: Finally, authenticate that whoever is accessing the data is the person with the rights over them. By possessing the key to something, you are being identified as one of those in charge of accessing the information she protects.
What are the types of cryptographic keys that exist and examples of them?
Throughout history, different types of encryption techniques have been developed, but all of them can be categorized into three different types of cryptography.
These are:
- Symmetric cryptography : This is a series of techniques in which symmetric cryptographic keys are used, which means that both are equal. This implies that both who receives and who sends the information must know it, being an effective way to authenticate the identity of the recipient. This was one of the first forms of cryptography used.
- Asymmetric cryptography : This is one of the most used for basically all digital platforms. It is a system in which a public key is established, which is of common access, which allows us to send information through it, but to be confirmed a public key must be used.
This is the model used by example for BTC Wallets, which provide you with a public address that you can give to receive your cryptocurrencies, but only you know the private key that gives access to the wallet and its resources as such.
- Hybrid cryptography : These are techniques that try to combine the best of both worlds and establish both symmetric keys, or similar, asymmetric elements, so that the user has better security.
Symmetric cryptography vs asymmetric cryptography What is the most different and safe ?
Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography are similar in operation, but they have many conceptual and technical differences that make them follow different paradigms to obtain the same result.
The main difference between the two is in the figure of the public key, since this is exclusive of asymmetric systems and its figure does not exist in those that are symmetrical. This, in turn, considerably limits symmetric encryption since they can only be used to verify that the recipient of the message is the one indicated .
In the case of asymmetric systems, the thing changes, since with a public key it is much easier to send the information, as well as the fact that it reaches the indicated receiver, since the public keys are unique that cannot be owned by two people within the same system .
With this concept the digital signature is also born, which would be a way to identify ourselves on the internet to notify us that a message has been created or shared by us, something similar to what our users would be in a video game online .
However, despite these arguments one cannot say that one is safer than the other. The reality is that in cryptography the type of system does not guarantee security, this is given by the strength of their private keys. There is no use a state-of-the-art system where the keys are easy to decipher.
What we can clearly say is that asymmetric systems are much more versatile and flexible, allowing us to create more complex encryption. For this reason, they are currently the most used systems to guarantee information security .
Steganography and cryptography Is the key to improving encryption security?
Steganography refers to a series of methods used to encode messages within other messages, so that information can be transmitted in a public document, with the certainty that not everyone who reads it will be able to decipher the message contained in it.
One of the main differences with cryptography is in the type of message it transmits. In the latter, secret keys are developed, whose intention is not to be shared with anyone other than the owner of the data. For its part, steganography is a cover language, which everyone can read but not everyone has the information necessary to understand or decipher the true message contained in it >.
Steganography has been a popular method of coding messages for centuries. In the Cold War era it became very famous, since spies and undercover agents used it to transcribe the information they were collecting and if they were captured , their captors could not understand their notes.
In computer science, steganography had been looking for a more complex utility without much success, but for some years a current has been born that thinks it can be used to boost cryptographic systems.
Blockchain, what kind of cryptographic technology does it send in the crypto world? today?
Blockchain is one of the greatest successes of cryptography in our time. It is a system in which the information is encrypted in cryptographic blocks that once verified cannot be modified. The data stored in a blockchain is registered, but only as a reference and no personal data of any of the users is shared.
This technology has encouraged the creation of 100% transparent and decentralized systems, where users have full control over it . To do this, it uses an asymmetric system in which each user within the network is given both a public and a private key.
Each block has a public key that identifies it within the chain, similar to what an IP address does to identify a computer within a network. This key can be freely sent information, but to access it, a private key will be required to which only the indicated user has access .
And the cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrencies are a consequence of the blockchain . People realized that this was a completely new and decentralized environment with which platforms and projects could be created that did not depend on or were within the jurisdiction of any country in the world.
Then, a Deepweb user identified as Satoshi Nakamoto, started the Bitcoin project, which was a decentralized currency , the first of its kind worldwide. At first its value was zero, but people began to be interested in the possibility of saving money away from the scope of taxes and mortgages, so they believed in the project.
Cryptocurrencies are nothing more than convertible currencies that a person receives for investing in a blockchain project, as in the case of BTC. After the birth of this, other cryptos such as Ethereum or Litecoin emerged, and currently the cryptocurrency market is one of the most money moving in the world , which shows the amount of money invested in blockchain projects .