Class Notes: Lecture on Cryptography

Introduction to Cryptography:
- Definition: Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication
in the presence of third parties, often referred to as adversaries.
- Goals of Cryptography:
- Confidentiality: Ensuring that information is only accessible to authorized parties.
- Integrity: Ensuring that information remains unaltered and trustworthy.
- Authentication: Verifying the identity of communicating parties.
- Non-repudiation: Preventing parties from denying their actions or transactions.
- Types of Cryptography:
- Symmetric Cryptography: Uses a single key for both encryption and decryption.
- Asymmetric Cryptography (Public-Key Cryptography): Uses a pair of keys - a public key
for encryption and a private key for decryption.
- Hash Functions: Generate a fixed-size hash value from input data, used for data integrity
verification and digital signatures.

Symmetric Cryptography:
- Key Concepts:
- Encryption: Process of converting plaintext into ciphertext using an encryption algorithm
and a secret key.
- Decryption: Process of converting ciphertext back into plaintext using a decryption
algorithm and the same secret key.
- Key Management: Secure generation, distribution, storage, and destruction of
cryptographic keys.
- Common Symmetric Encryption Algorithms:
- Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
- Data Encryption Standard (DES)
- Triple DES (3DES)
- Blowfish
- Twofish

Asymmetric Cryptography:
- Key Concepts:
- Public Key: A key that is freely distributed and used for encryption by anyone.
- Private Key: A key kept secret and used for decryption.
- Digital Signatures: A technique for verifying the authenticity and integrity of digital
messages or documents.
- Common Asymmetric Encryption Algorithms:
- Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)
- Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)
- Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange

Hash Functions:
- Key Concepts:
- One-way Function: A function that is easy to compute in one direction but computationally
infeasible to reverse.
 - Collision Resistance: The property of a hash function where it is difficult to find two
different inputs that produce the same hash output.
- Common Hash Functions:
- Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-256, SHA-3)
- Message Digest Algorithm (MD5)
- Whirlpool

Applications of Cryptography:
- Secure Communication: Protecting sensitive information during transmission over insecure
networks, e.g., HTTPS, SSH, VPNs.
- Data Integrity: Verifying that data has not been altered or corrupted, e.g., digital signatures.
- Authentication: Verifying the identity of users or systems, e.g., digital certificates, Kerberos.
- Key Exchange: Establishing shared secret keys between parties, e.g., Diffie-Hellman key
exchange.
- Blockchain Technology: Using cryptographic techniques for secure and transparent
transaction verification in distributed ledgers.

Conclusion:
Cryptography plays a vital role in modern cybersecurity by providing mechanisms for secure
communication, data integrity, authentication, and key management. Understanding
cryptographic principles and algorithms is essential for designing and implementing secure
systems and protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access or manipulation.