--Originally published at Computer and Information Security
Cryptography is the process of storing and transmitting data in a way that only those who should see the information can see it, it was originated in Egypt around 2000 BC. The first use of a modern cipher was by Julius Caesar from 100 BC to 44 BC since he didn’t trust the messengers that transported his messages.
Cryptography has 4 main objectives:
- Confidentiality: The information can only be accessed by who it was intended.
- Integrity: The information is not altered when it is sent or received.
- Non-repudiation: A sender can’t deny his intentions.
- Authentication: The sender and receiver must be able to identify themselves.
Cryptography gives us some protection from data theft because if the thief is not able to break the cipher the data he has acquired is useless.
Flickr photo by Adam Foster https://www.flickr.com/photos/twosevenoneonenineeightthreesevenatenzerosix/6655759625 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license.
