encryption
Sign in to savealt=Text being turned into nonsense, then gets converted back to original|thumb|300x300px|A simple illustration of public-key cryptography, one of the most widely used forms of encryption In cryptography, encryption (more specifically, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Despite its goal, encryption does not itself prevent interference but denies the intelligible content to a would-be
AI overview
Encryption is the process of transforming information into a coded form that only authorized people can understand, converting readable text into seemingly random characters. It matters because while it can't stop someone from intercepting your information, it prevents them from actually reading or using what they've stolen.
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- History
- Ancient
- 19th–20th century
- Modern
- Encryption in cryptography
- Types
- Uses
- Regulatory compliance
- Data erasure
- Limitations
- Attacks and countermeasures
- The debate around encryption
- Integrity protection of Ciphertexts
- Ciphertext length and padding
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
alt=Text being turned into nonsense, then gets converted back to original|thumb|300x300px|A simple illustration of public-key cryptography, one of the most widely used forms of encryption In cryptography, encryption (more specifically, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Despite its goal, encryption does not itself prevent interference but denies the intelligible content to a would-be interceptor.
For technical reasons, an encryption scheme usually uses a pseudo-random encryption key generated by an algorithm. It is possible to decrypt the message without possessing the key but, for a well-designed encryption scheme, considerable computational resources and skills are required. An authorized recipient can easily decrypt the message with the key provided by the originator to recipients but not to unauthorized users.