Cryptography is a field of science and research in which cryptographers engage in the design and development of cryptographic systems, systems that can protect sensitive data from hackers, eavesdroppers, and industrial spies. Cryptographers actively attempt to break the very systems they create in order to understand their limitations.
The concept of breaking something that you have created is common in manufacturing. It proves the reliability and safety of a product such as an automobile. Cryptographic methods are also used for authentication between users and between computer systems. Encryption transforms some input into an output that is impossible to read without the proper key. It is performed by running an algorithm that transforms some input called the plaintext into an encrypted form called the cipher text
There are three primary cryptographic techniques. Two are used to encrypt text, graphics, and other information in a form that can be recovered by someone who has an appropriate key. The third, used in authentication and integrity hemps, scrambles input without any intention to recover it.
- Secret-key cryptography
- Public-key cryptography
- Hash Functions
More details, please visit:
http://www.garykessler.net
http://www.rsa.com
http://www.pinkas.net