Terminology

Read the following words and word combinations and use them for understanding and translation of the text:

thereof - соответственно

thorough - тщательный

undecipherable code — код, не поддающийся расшифровке

forgery – подделка

cipher - шифр

to derive from... – происходить из...

Cryptography and encryption have been used for secure communication for thousands of years.

Throughout history, military communication has had the greatest influence on encryption and the advancements thereof. The need for secure commercial and private communication has been led by the Information Age, which began in the 1980s. Although the Internet had been invented in the late 1960s, it did not gain a public face until the World Wide Web was invented in 1989. This new method of information exchange has caused a tremendous need for information security. A thorough understanding of cryptography and encryption will help people develop better ways to protect valuable information as technology becomes faster and more efficient.

Cryptography is the science or study of techniques of secret writing and message hiding. Cryptography constitutes any method in which someone attempts to hide a message, or the meaning thereof, in some medium.

Encryption is one specific element of cryptography in which one hides data or information by transforming it into an undecipherable code. Encryption typically uses a specified parameter or key to perform the data transformation. Some encryption algorithms require the key to be the same length as the message to be encoded, yet other encryption algorithms can operate on much smaller keys relative to the message. Decryption is often classified along with encryption as its opposite. Decryption of encrypted data results in the original data.

Encryption is used in everyday modern life. Encryption is most used among transactions over insecure channels of communication, such as the Internet. Encryption is also used to protect data being transferred between devices such as automatic teller machines (ATMs), mobile telephones, and many more. Encryption can be used to create digital signatures, which allow a message to be authenticated. When properly implemented, a digital signature gives the recipient of a message reason to believe the message was sent by the claimed sender. Digital signatures are very useful when sending sensitive email and other types of digital communication. This is relatively equivalent to traditional handwritten signatures, in that, a more complex signature carries a more complex method of forgery.

A cipher is an algorithm, process, or method for performing encryption and decryption. A cipher has a set of well-defined steps that can be followed to encrypt and decrypt messages. The operation of a cipher usually depends largely on the use of an encryption key. The key may be any auxiliary information added to the cipher to produce certain outputs.

Plaintext and ciphertext are typically opposites of each other. Plaintext is any information before it has been encrypted. Ciphertext is the output information of an encryption cipher. Many encryption systems carry many layers of encryption, in which the ciphertext output becomes the plaintext input to another encryption layer. The process of decryption takes ciphertext and transforms it back into the original plaintext.

In efforts to remain secure, governments have employed staff for studying encryption and the breaking thereof. Cryptanalysis is the procedures, processes, and methods used to translate or interpret secret writings or communication as codes and ciphers for which the key is unknown.

Even though the goal has been the same, the methods and techniques of cryptanalysis have changed drastically through time. These changes derive from an attempt to adapt to the increasing complexity of cryptography. Due to the tremendous advantage of knowing the enemy's thoughts, war is the main driving force of cryptanalysis. Throughout history many governments have employed divisions solely for cryptanalysis during war time. Within the last century, governments have employed permanent divisions for this purpose.

Notes:

ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) – банкомат