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Classical Encryption Techniques

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10 views4 pages

Classical Encryption Techniques

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spaceguy20184
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Course: Information_Assurance_&_Security

School: (STI) Systems Technology Institute’s College

Topic: Classical Encryption Techniques

I. Caesar Cipher
Overview:
The Caesar Cipher is one of the simplest and most well-known encryption techniques. Named
after Julius Caesar, who is reputed to have used it to communicate with his officials.

How It Works:
It involves shifting each letter in the plaintext by a fixed number of positions down the alphabet.
For example, with a shift of 3, A becomes D, B becomes E, and so on.

Historical Context:
Used during Roman times for military communications.

Example:
Plaintext: HELLO
Shift: 3
Ciphertext: KHOOR

II. Keyword Ciphers


Overview:
Keyword ciphers use a keyword to generate a unique encryption alphabet.

How It Works:
The keyword is written first in the alphabet without repeating any letters, followed by the
remaining letters of the alphabet in order. Each letter of the plaintext is substituted with the
corresponding letter in this new alphabet.

Historical Context:
Widely used in the past due to its simplicity and the ability to use a memorable keyword for the
encryption process.

Example:
Keyword: SECRET
Plaintext Alphabet: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Ciphertext Alphabet: SECRTABDFGHIJKLMNOPQUVWXYZ
Plaintext: HELLO
Ciphertext: ZCSSC

III. Giovanni’s Method


Overview:
Around 1580, Giovanni Battista Argenti introduced an innovative encryption method. He
suggested starting a keyword under a key letter in the plaintext. Giovanni, along with his nephew
Matteo, hailed from one of the notable cryptology families of the Middle Ages. Giovanni
eventually became the papal secretary of ciphers in Rome in 1950, although frequent trips to
Germany and France took a toll on his health.

How It Works:
To use Giovanni’s method, choose a key letter and start the keyword under that letter in the
plaintext alphabet. Continue placing the remaining letters to the right to create the ciphertext
alphabet. This method creates a unique substitution for each letter based on the chosen key
letter.

Historical Context:
Giovanni's method was a significant advancement in cryptology, used primarily in diplomatic and
military communications during the late Middle Ages.

Example:
To use Giovanni’s method with key letter “P” and the keyword “COLEG,” follow these steps:

Write the alphabet in the top row (plaintext alphabet).

Start the keyword “COLEG” under the key letter “PQRST” and then place the remaining letters of
the alphabet to the right.

Plaintext Alphabet:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Ciphertext Alphabet:

J K M N P Q R S T U V W X Y Z C O L E G A B D F H I

Encrypting Example:

Plaintext: UNIVERSITY
Key Letter: P
Ciphertext: AYTBPLETGH

By replacing each letter of the plaintext with the corresponding letter in the ciphertext row, you
achieve the encrypted message using Giovanni’s method.

IV. Transposition Techniques


Overview:
A transposition cipher is achieved by performing a permutation on the plaintext letters. This
means the positions of the letters are shifted according to a defined system, so that the
ciphertext is a rearrangement of the plaintext.

How It Works:
Transposition techniques rearrange the letters of the plaintext in a specific pattern. One of the
simplest transposition ciphers is the rail fence technique. In this technique, the plaintext is
written down in a zigzag pattern across multiple "rails" (diagonals) and then read off row by row
to create the ciphertext.

Historical Context:
Transposition ciphers have been used throughout history, with notable use by the Spartans with
the scytale cipher, which involved wrapping a strip of parchment around a rod to encrypt a
message.

Example:
Plaintext: HELLO WORLD

H L O O L
E L W R D

Ciphertext: HLOOLELWRD

V. Polyalphabetic Ciphers
Overview:
Polyalphabetic ciphers use multiple substitution alphabets to encrypt the plaintext.

How It Works:
A common example is the Vigenère cipher, which uses a keyword to determine which alphabet to use for
each letter of the plaintext. The letters of the keyword are repeated to match the length of the plaintext,
and each letter of the plaintext is shifted according to the corresponding letter of the keyword.

Historical Context:
Developed to overcome the weaknesses of monoalphabetic ciphers.

Example:
Keyword: KEY
Plaintext: HELLO
Extended Keyword: KEYKE
Ciphertext: RIJVS
References:

Caesar Cipher. (n.d). In Practical Cryptography. Retrieved from


http://practicalcryptography.com/ciphers/caesar-cipher/

Cryptography. (n.d). In Geeks for Geeks. Retrieved from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/cryptography-


introduction-to-crypto-terminologies/

[Kahn, David. The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient
Times to the Internet. Scribner, 1996.]

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