Cryptography studies secure communications techniques that allow only the sender and intended recipient of a message to view its contents. The term is derived from the Greek word “kryptos”, which means hidden. It is closely associated with encryption, which is scrambling ordinary text into what’s known as ciphertext and then back again upon arrival. In addition, cryptography also covers the obfuscation of information in images using techniques such as microdots or merging. Ancient Egyptians were known to use these methods in complex hieroglyphics, and Roman Emperor Julius Caesar is credited with using one of the first modern ciphers.
When transmitting electronic data, the most common use of cryptography is to encrypt and decrypt email and other plain-text messages. The simplest method uses the symmetric or “secret key” system. Here, data is encrypted using a secret key. Then, the encoded message and private key are sent to the recipient for decryption. The problem? If the message is intercepted, a third party has everything they need to decrypt and read the news. To address this issue, cryptologists devised the asymmetric or “public key” system. In this case, every user has two public and private keys. Senders request the public key of their intended recipient, encrypt the message and send it along. Only the recipient’s private key will decode when the message arrives — meaning theft is of no use without the corresponding private key.
Best Practices
Users should always encrypt any messages they send, ideally using a form of public key encryption. It’s also a good idea to encrypt critical or sensitive files — anything from sets of family photos to company data like personnel records or accounting history. Look for a security solution with robust cryptography algorithms and an easy-to-use interface. This helps ensure the regular use of encryption functions and prevents data loss even if a mobile device, hard drive, or storage medium falls into the wrong hands.
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