Computer Security Assignment
Computer Security Assignment
Question 1
Encryption technique
Encryption is the process of encoding a message or information in such a way that only
authorized parties can access it and those who are not authorized cannot. Encryption does not
itself prevent interference, but denies the intelligible content to a would-be interceptor. In an
encryption scheme, the intended information or message, referred to as plaintext, is encrypted
using an encryption algorithm. Ciphertext that can be read only if decrypted. For technical
reasons, an encryption scheme usually uses a pseudo-random encryption key generated by an
algorithm. It is in principle 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.
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To decrypt that ciphertext into plaintext, you need an encryption key, a series of bits that
decode the text. The key is something only you or the intended recipient has in their
possession. Computers are capable of breaking encrypted code by guessing an encryption
key, but for very sophisticated algorithms like an elliptic curve algorithm, this could take a
long time. You can send that encrypted message to someone, separately share the key, then
they’re able to decrypt it and read the original sentence.