Chapter 2 - Basic Terminology Flashcards
What is cryptography?
- The making and breaking of codes and ciphers
What is ‘plain text’?
- The message or document that you wish to keep secret
What is another way to refer to ‘plain text’?
- Clear text
What format is ‘clear text’ in?
- Some language the sender and receiver can both understand
What is a cipher?
- A message or algorithm for garbling a message to make it unreadable
What do ciphers operate on?
- individual characters or groups of characters in the text without regard to their meaning
What is a key?
- A secret piece of information known only to the sender and legitimate receiver
What does the strength of a cipher depend on?
- on the total size of the keys it uses
What is another way of refer ‘key word/phrase’?
- a word or phrase used as a key
What is encryption?
- The process of changing the plaintext into an unreadable garble by the legitimate sender who knows the key
What is another way of referring to ‘encryption’?
- Encipherment
What is ‘cipher text’?
- The process of changing the plaintext into an unreadable garble by the legitimate sender who knows the key
What is ‘decryption’?
- The process that the legitimate receiver, who knows the method and the key, uses to turn the garbled ciphertext back into the original plaintext message.
What is another way of referring to ‘decryption’?
- Decipherment
What is a ‘Code’?
- A method for garbling a message to make it unreadable
How is a ‘Code’ different from a cipher?
- A code normally operates on words or phrases or phrases in a message
What is cryptology?
- The formal study of cryptography. Includes the study of mathematics and methodologies used for constructing and solving ciphers
What is Cryptanalysis?
- The study of codes and ciphers for the specific purpose of identifying weaknesses and finding ways to break them or to strengthen them
What is ‘Code Breaking’?
- The process of solving encrypted messages by third parties who do not have the key and may not have the method either
What is meant by an unbreakable cipher?
- Can’t be broken by cryptographic means
- The cipher can’t be broken in a practical sense
What information do you need when choosing a cipher?
- How much compute and man power your opponents can expend on breaking your cipher
When do you have an unbreakable cipher?
- When the cipher meets a target that is conservative and takes into account for advances in compute power considering your opponents compute and man power
What is a key factor when choosing and unbreakable cipher for it?
- the lifespan of a message.
When has a cipher been broken?
- When an opponent can read messages using the cipher