Encryption Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts in encryption, including definitions and types of encryption methods.

Encryption

The process of scrambling data so that only legitimate users can read it.

Ciphertext

The encrypted text that results from the encryption process.

Cipher/Key

The algorithm used to encrypt and decrypt text.

Caesar Cipher

An early method of encryption which replaces each letter with a letter a fixed number of positions away.

Symmetric Encryption

A type of encryption that uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data.

Asymmetric Encryption

Encryption that uses two keys, a public key to encrypt and a private key to decrypt.

Public Key

A key that is made freely available for anyone to encrypt messages sent to the owner.

Private Key

A key that is kept secret and used to decrypt messages that were encrypted with the public key.

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)

The most widely used symmetric encryption algorithm with variations of key lengths (128, 192, 256 bits).

Hashing

A mathematical process used to change a piece of text into an unrecognizable format, typically for storing passwords.