Cryptography is one of the most important aspects of cryptocurrency. It is one way of delivering secured and safe data without the risk of being hacked or exploited. It ensures the secrecy and integrity of data that are in transmission. Aside from securing data integrity and minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities, cryptography can also recover original data. If you want to know what is the cryptography method of recovering original data, then read further down below.
What Is Cryptography?
Cryptography is associated with transforming ordinary text into an unreadable one and vice versa. It is a method of transmitting data in a specific form so that only those who intend to receive and send data can process and read it.
In cryptography, a readable by human text or known as plaintext, is converted using an algorithm or any mathematical operations into something that is not readable by human standards. This text is often gibberish, and this text is called ciphertext.
Cryptographic systems use public and private keys for the intended person to read the encrypted message. When a public or private key is used, it transforms the ciphertext into plaintext or the gibberish one to a readable one. That’s how cryptography works.
Cryptographic methods have three different kinds of concerns that also have three purposes:
- Integrity – cryptography ensures that the data being transmitted from the sender to the receiver isn’t altered or exploited. And should be the same text from the moment it was sent and the moment it was received.
- Authentication – identity should be verified by the person or a computer.
- Confidentiality – keeping the information on the data secret.
Encryption and Cryptography
Most of the time, people are confused with cryptography and encryption. However, they are in the same boat to provide security and integrity of important data and messages. The process of turning plaintext to ciphertext is called encryption. When plaintext is converted into ciphertext and is transmitted, that is an encrypted message.
Encryption is an integral part of cryptography, as evidenced by what you just read. However, encryption doesn’t encompass the entire science of it. Encryption is just the opposite of decryption.
One of the core parts of the encryption process is ciphering data and providing a key. A key is also an important part of the process and is usually in the form of a number. The key is needed for you to apply the algorithm to the encrypted message, and as a result, you can read the text without problems. Even if you know how the encrypted message was made, you still can’t decipher the text if you don’t have the key.
How are encryption keys generated? Encryptions are usually encrypted into random numbers or computer algorithms that imitate random numbers similar to a random number generator. They are unique ways of giving more secure and concealed numbers for the intended recipients and preventing them from being obtained by hackers.
What is a cipher? They are also a key component of encryption and cryptography. Cipher is a mathematical algorithm used for decrypting and encrypting data. It is a procedure people need to follow to gain access to the original data or encrypt the encrypted message. Now that you know how encryption and cryptography works read below what is the cryptography method of recovering original data.
What Is Cryptanalysis?
If you want to know what is the cryptography method of recovering original data, then here comes cryptanalysis. What is cryptanalysis, and how does it work? Cryptanalysis is the study behind ciphertext, cryptosystems, and ciphers, which aims to understand better how these things work and how they can help find means and ways to improve for weakening defeating them.
For example, cryptanalysts try to find how to decrypt the ciphertexts deprived of knowing the plaintext, algorithms, or any encryption keys to unlock it. Cryptanalysts also aim to secure digital signatures, hashing, and other known cryptographic algorithms. Simply put, crypto-analysis is the science behind recovering original data without the need to have a specific key.
While cryptanalysis’s main idea is to find vulnerabilities and weaknesses in or otherwise defeat cryptographic algorithms, by this, cryptanalysts and researchers aim to strengthen further and solidify or replace any flawed algorithms.
Researchers may soon uncover different methods of attacks that may completely break off an encrypted algorithm, which means any ciphertext can be decrypted without them having access to the encryption keys. So, if you want to know what is the cryptography method of recovering original data without you having the keys, cryptanalysis can be a good choice.
However, cryptanalysis uses mathematical algorithms and analysis to decipher the cipher. The overall success rate of a cryptanalysis attack is highly dependent on:
- Time constraints availability
- Storage capacity availability
- Computing power availability
There are three popular cryptanalysis attacks, and these include:
- Rainbow table attack – this type of attack differentiates both the pre-computed texts and the ciphertext and hopes to find a match.
- Brute-force attack – it is by far the most common and old one type of attack. Brute force attack takes the longest out of the three. This type of attack uses various types of mathematical algorithms to guess all the possible combinations of the plaintext, which then is used and compared to the original cipher.
- Dictionary attack – this type of attack is widely used to crack encrypted passwords. These attack works are using a wordlist to find a match on either the key or the plaintext.
Summary
- Cryptography is the science behind deciphering and ciphering messages.
- A cipher message is a function in which it transforms plaintext into ciphertext. To put it simply, it transforms readable texts into unreadable texts.
- Deciphering means converting the unreadable text into a readable one.
- Cryptanalysis is the science behind deciphering and ciphering ciphers without gaining access to the encrypted keys.
Conclusion
Cryptography, cryptanalysis, and encryption are integral parts of the world of cryptocurrency. They are needed to provide a safe, secure, and hack-free environment for people to secure time doing their transactions. If you want to know what is the cryptography method of recovering original data, then cryptanalysis is the answer. Learn more about cryptocurrencies here!