Overview of Cryptography Types

Dr. Asad Abbas

University of the Punjab
Symmetric Cryptography: Uses a single key for
both encryption and decryption, making it fast
and efficient for securing large volumes of data
 • Definition and key characteristics: Symmetric
cryptography uses a single key for both encryption and
decryption, making it straightforward yet effective for
Basics of Symmetricsecure communication
Cryptography
• How symmetric cryptography works: In symmetric
cryptography, the same key is used to encrypt plaintext
into ciphertext and to decrypt the ciphertext back into
plaintext, requiring both sender and receiver to have
access to the shared secret key
Asymmetric Cryptography: Employs a pair of keys for
encryption and decryption, enhancing security, especially for
key distribution and digital signatures
Hybrid Cryptography: Combines the strengths of symmetric and
asymmetric cryptography to provide both efficient data encryption
and secure key exchange
 AES : AES is a widely used encryption standard that supports key
sizes of 128, 192, and 256 bits, making it highly secure and efficient
for various applications

DES : DES was once a prevalent encryption algorithm, but its 56-bit
key size is now considered too weak for modern security
requirements, leading to its replacement by AES

Algorithms in
Symmetric
3DES : 3DES applies the DES algorithm three times to each data
block, offering better security than DES, but it is slower and being
Cryptography
phased out in favor of more secure and efficient standards like AES

Blowfish: Blowfish is a variable-length key, 64-bit block cipher

known for its speed and effectiveness, especially in software
implementations, but it's being gradually replaced by newer
algorithms like AES
 File Encryption: Symmetric cryptography is used to
protect sensitive data stored on computers and servers by
converting it into an unreadable format, accessible only
with the correct key

Secure Communication : Virtual Private Networks

Applications of
leverage symmetric cryptography to create secure and
encrypted connections over the internet, safeguarding

Symmetric
data exchanged between devices

Cryptography
Disk Encryption: Symmetric encryption algorithms are
applied to entire disk volumes to prevent unauthorized
access, ensuring that the data remains secure even if the
physical storage device is lost or stolen
 • Speed and Efficiency: Symmetric cryptography is faster and
more efficient than its asymmetric counterpart, making it
Strengths of ideal for encrypting large volumes of data quickly due to its
Symmetric less complex algorithms
• Simplicity in Implementation: The use of a single key for
Cryptography both encryption and decryption in symmetric cryptography
simplifies its implementation in various software and
hardware environments
 • Key Distribution Problem: Securely distributing and
exchanging the encryption key between parties can be
challenging without a secure channel, as intercepting the key
Limitations of would allow an adversary to decrypt the confidential
communications
Symmetric • Scalability Issues with Key Management: As the number of
Cryptography participants in a system increases, managing the distinct keys
required for each pair of communicating parties becomes
impractical and complex, leading to potential security
vulnerabilities
 • Definition and key characteristics: Asymmetric
cryptography, also known as public key cryptography,
utilizes two different keys for encryption and decryption
— a public key for encryption and a private key for
Basics of decryption, ensuring secure communication even in
Asymmetric unsecured channels
Cryptography • How asymmetric cryptography works : In this system,
anyone can use the public key to encrypt a message, but
only the holder of the paired private key can decrypt it,
facilitating secure data exchange and authentication
without the need to share secret keys
 RSA : A widely used encryption and digital signature
algorithm, RSA is based on the mathematical challenge of
factoring large prime numbers

Algorithms in
ECC : Offers stronger security with smaller key sizes by
leveraging the algebraic structure of elliptic curves over
Asymmetric
finite fields

Cryptography
Diffie-Hellman: A method for secure key exchange that
allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an
insecure channel without prior knowledge of each other
 • Digital signatures: Asymmetric cryptography enables digital
signatures, which provide a way to verify the authenticity and
integrity of digital documents, messages, or transactions,
Applications of ensuring that they have not been altered and confirming the
identity of the signer
Asymmetric • Secure key exchange: It facilitates secure key exchange
Cryptography mechanisms, such as the Diffie-Hellman key exchange,
allowing two parties to establish a shared secret over an
insecure channel without having previously shared any secret
information
 • Email encryption: Asymmetric
cryptography is used to encrypt emails,
Applications of ensuring that only the intended recipient
with the corresponding private key can
Asymmetric
decrypt and read the contents, thereby
Cryptography safeguarding sensitive information from
unauthorized access
 • Solves key distribution problem: Asymmetric
cryptography eliminates the need for sharing secret
keys over insecure channels, as public keys can be
freely distributed while private keys remain
Strengths of confidential
Asymmetric • Enhanced security through public/private key pairs: It
Cryptography offers a higher level of security, as the separate public
and private keys make it significantly more difficult for
unauthorized users to decrypt messages without access
to the private key
 • Computational Intensity: Asymmetric cryptography
involves complex mathematical computations,
making it significantly slower and more resource-
Limitations of intensive compared to symmetric cryptography
• Slower Compared to Symmetric Cryptography: Due
Asymmetric to the heavy computational requirements for key
Cryptography generation, encryption, and decryption processes,
asymmetric cryptography operates at a slower pace,
making it less suitable for encrypting large volumes
of data
 Combining symmetric and
asymmetric cryptography

Hybrid
Cryptography
How hybrid systems work and
their advantages
 Challenges in key management

Key
Management
Solutions like Key Management
and Exchange
Systems and Public Key
Infrastructure
 Quantum
cryptography
Future Trends
in
Post-quantum
Cryptography
cryptography
 Choosing the right cryptographic
algorithm

Key length and complexity

Best Practices for
Cryptography

Regularly updating and managing

cryptographic keys
 Recap of key points

The importance of cryptography in

Conclusion
modern security
and Q&A

Invitation for questions