11: Encryption, Digital Currency, IoT Definitions

encryption

the process of converting data from a readable format into a jumble of random looking characters (convert messages into a secret code that requires a key to interpret)

steganography

the deliberate concealment of data within other data (hides the fact there is even a message at all)

cryptography

the science of encrypting or hiding a message (text, images, messages, video, etc); encryption and steganography fall under this

cryptanalysis

the science of decrypting a message; field also includes instances where you do not know how to decrypt the ciphertext, and must somehow break into the message yourself

cryptology

study of data communication and secure storage using secret keys; includes both cryptography and cryptanalysis

SSL certificate

digital document that connects the identity of a website to the public encryption key and the private encryption key

blockchain

a distributed database or ledger that is shared among the nodes of a computer network; as a database, a blockchain stores info electronically in digital format (basically transaction history)

hash

value of all the blocks before it

cryptojacking

occurs when an attacker uses a compromised website to exploit the users’ devices to mine cryptocurrencies without their knowledge on the attacker’s behalf

internet of things (IoT)

includes any device that connects to the internet or communicates with other devices

application of programming interfaces (APIs)

software intermediaries that allow two applications to talk to each other