What is Cryptography? Cryptography, plain and simple, is the study and practice of hiding information so that only the intended recipient can read the message. Cryptography revolves around four pillars: Confidentiality: Ensuring only the intended recipient can read the data.Integrity: Ensuring data has not been tampered with.Authentication: Verifying the identity of parties involved.Non-Repudiation: Preventing someone from denying they performed an action (e.g., signed a document). Confidentiality: Ensuring only the intended recipient can read the data. Confidentiality: Integrity: Ensuring data has not been tampered with. Integrity: Authentication: Verifying the identity of parties involved. Authentication: Non-Repudiation: Preventing someone from denying they performed an action (e.g., signed a document). Non-Repudiation: Cryptography is everywhere in the digital world, from encrypting WhatsApp messages to ensuring your credit card numbers remain confidential and secure. Terms Plaintext (PT): the unencrypted text. Just regular text, like what you’re reading.Ciphertext (CT): the encrypted counterpart to PT. For example: 1238B45E5AF8E88324699CC6BD9B6DB2 which is the AES-256 representation for “Hello, World”AES: Advanced Encryption StandardDES: Data Encryption StandardHash/Digest: A fixed-size fingerprint of data (e.g., SHA-256 hashes "Hello World" to d2a84f4b8b650937ec8f73cd8be2c74add5a911ba64df27458ed8229da804a26). Plaintext (PT): the unencrypted text. Just regular text, like what you’re reading. Plaintext (PT) reading. Ciphertext (CT): the encrypted counterpart to PT. For example: 1238B45E5AF8E88324699CC6BD9B6DB2 which is the AES-256 representation for “Hello, World” Ciphertext (CT): 1238B45E5AF8E88324699CC6BD9B6DB2 AES: Advanced Encryption Standard Advanced Encryption Standard DES: Data Encryption Standard Data Encryption Standard Hash/Digest: A fixed-size fingerprint of data (e.g., SHA-256 hashes "Hello World" to d2a84f4b8b650937ec8f73cd8be2c74add5a911ba64df27458ed8229da804a26). d2a84f4b8b650937ec8f73cd8be2c74add5a911ba64df27458ed8229da804a26 The Basics Let’s start with the basics. In this section, we’ll discuss symmetric vs asymmetric cryptography. Symmetric Cryptography Symmetric cryptography is cryptography that uses the same key for encryption and decryption, hence the classification symmetric. same symmetric Symmetric cryptographic algorithms can be further split into two categories: Block CiphersStream Ciphers: Block Ciphers Block Ciphers Stream Ciphers: Stream Ciphers Block Ciphers As the name suggests, block ciphers encrypt blocks of bits at a time. For example, AES has a block size of 128 bits. That means that the AES algorithm breaks an input into chunks of 128 bits when encrypting. Block ciphers are very prominent in internet applications such as TLS/SSL (HTTPS), VPN, and BitLocker are some examples. blocks of bits Other popular block ciphers include Triple DES (3DES) and BlowFish, both with a block size of 64 bits. Note: Block size is entirely separate from key size. Block size is a fixed-size chunk of data that a cipher processes in every encryption/decryption operation. Note: Block size is entirely separate from key size. Block size is a fixed-size chunk of data that a cipher processes in every encryption/decryption operation. Stream Ciphers Stream ciphers operate on a stream of bits; thus, these ciphers encrypt bits/bytes one at a time, individually. Stream ciphers are used heavily in real-time scenarios, such as real-time communication, such as VoIP (Voice-over-IP), and mobile communications. Since these ciphers are lightweight, they’re perfect for resource-constrained environments. An example of a stream cipher, a very important example, is the One-Time Pad (OTP). The importance here lies in the fact that an OTP is mathematically unbreakable when used correctly. This is because the ciphertext provides absolutely no information about the plaintext if the key is unknown. Asymmetric Cryptography Asymmetric cryptography is also known by its much more popular pseudonym, public-key cryptography, which is what I’ll use moving forward. Public-Key Cryptography, when compared to Symmetric Cryptography, offers better security and robustness (offers confidentiality, authenticity, and non-repudiation). However, these algorithms are much more resource-intensive, making them slower than symmetric cryptography. Public-Key Cryptography also greatly simplifies the key exchange process, removing the need to share a single secret key. In Public-Key Cryptography, a pair of keys is used. One of the keys, the public key, is not a secret; it can be shared with anyone. The other key, the private key, is the user’s secret that does not get shared with anyone. There is a mathematical relationship between the two keys; however, given a key, one cannot derive the other part of the pair (it’s mathematically infeasible). A very common example of a public-key algorithm is RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman). pair of keys public key private key does not As mentioned earlier, public-key cryptography is slower than its counterpart (symmetric cryptography), but another con is that it requires much larger key sizes to achieve comparable security. For example, when comparing RSA and AES, RSA needs a key size of 15360 bits to achieve the same level of security as 256 bits for AES. Hashes and Digests Sometimes, rather than completely encrypting data, we just need to verify its integrity. A quick and simple way of doing so is using hashes. Hashes and digests are used pretty interchangeably; they both refer to the result of applying a cryptographic hash function to a piece of data (file, text, etc). The point of the hash/digest is to create a “fingerprint” of sorts for the input data that allows us to track the integrity of the message, to make sure it has not been tampered with. So we mentioned a cryptographic hash function above, but what is that? Basically, a cryptographic hash function, referred to simply as a hash function, is a one-way function that produces a fixed-size output. Hash functions have two really important properties to them: they’re one-way, and they’re collision-resistant. one-way function that produces a fixed-size output one-way function that produces a fixed-size output One Way: it should be computationally infeasible (basically impossible) to get the original data from the hash value.Collision-Resistant: it should be computationally infeasible (basically impossible) to find two pieces of data that map to the same hash value. One Way: it should be computationally infeasible (basically impossible) to get the original data from the hash value. One Way Collision-Resistant: it should be computationally infeasible (basically impossible) to find two pieces of data that map to the same hash value. Collision-Resistant I mentioned above that hashes are great at verifying data integrity. Let's give a few examples of that to better understand the role of hashes/message digests: Software Distribution: you may have noticed when downloading a new piece of software, oftentimes you’re provided with something called the “SHA” of that distribution.Data Backups: verifying that backups haven’t been tampered with.Storing Passwords: passwords aren’t stored in plaintext, for obvious reasons; instead, they are hashed, and the hashed value is stored. This ensures that even if the password database is hacked/compromised, the passwords themselves are not.Commit Identification: if you use Git (a version-control system) you’ll notice random alphanumeric characters representing the commits. Git uses a hash to identify the commit. Software Distribution: you may have noticed when downloading a new piece of software, oftentimes you’re provided with something called the “SHA” of that distribution. Software Distribution Data Backups: verifying that backups haven’t been tampered with. Data Backups Storing Passwords: passwords aren’t stored in plaintext, for obvious reasons; instead, they are hashed, and the hashed value is stored. This ensures that even if the password database is hacked/compromised, the passwords themselves are not. Storing Passwords: Commit Identification: if you use Git (a version-control system) you’ll notice random alphanumeric characters representing the commits. Git uses a hash to identify the commit. Commit Identification: There are many hash functions available, some more popular than others. Examples include: MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, BLAKE-2, etc. Hashes and digest also make the foundation for crypto currencies. They’re crucial in ensuring integrity, security and trust. In an earlier post, we talked about Merkle Trees and their applications, remember Merkle Trees rely on the concept of hashes to be able to verify transactions. This extends beyond just proof of transactions, with hashes/digests, crypto currencies add functionality like Proof of Stake, data integrity, and digital signatures. post Note: Please don’t use MD5 and SHA-1 they are weak hashes. Note: Please don’t use MD5 and SHA-1 they are weak hashes. Message Authentication Codes and Signatures I mentioned above that if we wanted to simply check the integrity of a message we could use a hash function. But what if we wanted to make sure that the message was authentic, the sending party is who they say they are? This is where message authentication codes (MACs) come into play. Think of a MAC as the digital fingerprint of the message, it’s unique to that message (and the shared secret key). Formally, a message authentication code (MAC) is a cryptographic technique used to verify both the integrity and authenticity of the message. Remember, authenticity relates to the sending and receiving parties, so a MAC not only makes sure that the message has not been tampered with but also provides verification of the two parties involved. message authentication code (MAC) both integrity authenticity So how do MACs work? Well before anything, step 0 if you will, the sender and receiver need to share a secret key beforehand. This key is crucial for verification. Once that’s taken care of we can generate the MAC. Digital signatures are basically the same thing. Instead of a shared secret key the senders private key is used for signing, as we know the senders private key can be verified by the senders public key. Basically, digital signatures are for asymmetric cryptography whereas MACs are for symmetric cryptography. Tips, Reminders & Resources Please DO NOT roll your own crypto algorithm beyond for fun. If you’re using crypto algorithms for production applications please use current best practices. Check out NIST Standards, as well as, Cryptographic Right Answers.Please DO NOT use outdated or weak algorithms. Utilize OWASP Top 10s and OWASP Cheat Sheets. Please DO NOT roll your own crypto algorithm beyond for fun. If you’re using crypto algorithms for production applications please use current best practices. Check out NIST Standards, as well as, Cryptographic Right Answers. DO NOT NIST Standards Cryptographic Right Answers Please DO NOT use outdated or weak algorithms. DO NOT Utilize OWASP Top 10s and OWASP Cheat Sheets. OWASP Cheat Sheets That’s all I have today. Thank you for reading through the entire post. Hopefully I was able to teach you something new about the ever-evolving and extremely important field of cryptography. If you liked the post please like, share, and subscribe. Please share your thoughts on the post. My next post will start the Distributed Systems series. I’ll see you there. Ali

Walkthroughs, tutorials, guides, and tips. This story will teach you how to do something new or how to do something better.

Merkle Trees 101 (Part 1): Structure, Proofs, and Real-World Uses

Subscribe to my Blog

Newsletter

Everything Software Developers Need to Know About Cryptography

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

CAP Theorem Explained, Part 1: The Problem With “Pick Two”

102 Stories To Learn About Encryption

153 Stories To Learn About Cryptography

5 Books You Can Read to Boost Your Computer Science Knowledge

6 Not-so-obvious Tech Predictions

63 Stories To Learn About Quantum Computing

CAP Theorem Explained, Part 1: The Problem With “Pick Two”

102 Stories To Learn About Encryption

153 Stories To Learn About Cryptography

5 Books You Can Read to Boost Your Computer Science Knowledge

6 Not-so-obvious Tech Predictions

63 Stories To Learn About Quantum Computing

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Minty

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps