The Impact Of Modern Day Cryptography On Society Today

When a fellow general received the message, he would wrap the paper around his corresponding scytale to decipher the message (Tyson 2014). Since the advent of computers though, encryption has become increasing important and relies almost solely on cryptographic means to secure information. When speaking about encryption today, it refers more to the process rather than the mathematical formulas used to scramble data. The basic idea behind encrypting a computer message is such that it is scrambled with a sequence of random bits, known as a key, and only parties with the corresponding key can transpose it back into a comprehensible format. These keys are created via a cipher, otherwise known as an algorithm. When a user sends a message, known as the plaintext, across a network, the computer applies an algorithm to the information to encode it, resulting in a ciphertext (Encryption Basics 2014). This method can be best summarized visually:

Encryption is the conversion of electronic data into another form, called cipher text, which cannot be easily understood by anyone except authorized parties. The primary purpose of encryption is to protect the confidentiality of digital data stored on computer systems or transmitted via the Internet or other computer networks. Modern encryption algorithms play

Encryption is a process that turns information that is plainly readable into scrambled form in order to preserve the authenticity, integrity, and privacy of the information that passes through the security perimeter (Michael E. Whitman, 2009). It is the conversion of electronic data into another form, called ciphertext, which cannot be easily understood by anyone except authorized parties (Rouse, 2014).

The article called, The End of Privacy by Adam L. Penenberg, demonstrates the easy access an intruder can have to someone’s private information in today’s digital world with just a few taps on the keyboard, and a phone. Making your private information unprotected and defenseless. Penenberg also describes transition from mainframe computers to desktop PCs making private information vulnerable. He also reveals that marketers and busybodies have more customer data than ever. He also illustrates the advances of search methods that cyber criminals have up their sleeve, how the misrepresent themselves in order to puncture through the credit bureaus, and the Federal reserve database, spilling out all of your financial information, social security,

NSA aims to achieve global cryptologic dominance through responsive presence and network advantage with its values as to protect national security interests by adhering to the highest standards of behaviour. To do this, it will lead an expert workforce for our best efforts to advance and operate world-class cryptologic

Encryption on the other hand, is nothing new to humans.It has been used for millenniums, and can be traced as far back as ancient Egyptian history. There are many famous, but one stands out. Caesar Cipher, which is working on a very simple system, shifting the alphabet. This code is very simple to break, but there are other codes that are much harder. Equatorie of Planetis is a substitution cipher as well, but is not a shift of the alphabet. The way to solve this cipher is based on a letter system that’s called frequency analysis .It can be decoded with a method called frequency

Herbert Yardley’s efforts in the early 1900s set the foundation for modern cryptology and the establishment of today’s cryptologic agencies, such as the National Security Agency (NSA) (Lowenthal, 2000c). Yardley’s deciphering of Latin American and Japanese code established the need for cryptanalysts, not only for military use, but diplomatic as well. The Cipher Bureau – Yardley’s organization – provided the setting to utilize deciphering and coding to provide intelligence and security for the United States (US) (Powe & Wilson, 1973). The use of cryptology in the early twentieth century by Yardley and his team provides the setting for the establishment of modern intelligence agencies, intelligence processes, and security practices.

With our dependency on technology and computers growing in just about every aspect of our lives, from at home to business, we are leaving our information out there for anyone who has the desire to try to get that information. When computers were first used by business and the government it was easy to secure the information stored on the room sized machines. It was as simple as securing the building and rooms that they were in. Now after the invention of the World Wide Web and how we are connected through a series of networks from Personal Area Networks to Wide Area Networks, Any criminal that has the computer skills can potentially gain access any information they desire. Securing our information on our computers and over the networks we use

The reliance on computers continues to increase as they become faster, more reliable, and easier to use. In the 1950s computers were used by the government for a number of purposes including spying, recording data, and new methods for solving crime. Computers could control spy planes that flew over restricted areas around the world. They have the power to

Cryptography, at least in some form, has been around since 1900 BC where the first known evidence had been seen in an Egyptian tomb of a nobleman, Khnuhotep II. Here, there are unusual hieroglyphic symbols that the scribe used in the place of more ordinary ones that one would expect. It is thought that the purpose of changing these symbols, it was not to hide the message, but make it seem like it was more dignified. However, evidence of cryptography has been traced back to the most of the major early civilizations. Arthasharta, an ancient Indian treatise, helps tell of an espionage service and mentions secret writing that their spies had used on assignements. Julias Caesar also had his very own cipher. It was a form of encryption to relay secret messages to his generals that were on the war front. It is a substitution cipher, and the most widely mentioned in history. A substitution cipher is where a plain text message would have each character

First cryptographic method is the Symmetric-Key Algorithm also known as Secret key Cryptography. The symmetry of algorithm comes from both parties involved sharing the same key for both data encryption and decryption. It works like a physical door where anyone who has the right locking and unlocking uses a copy of the same key.

Playing games on my father's computer as a child fascinated me in the way the computer works, how fast it develops, and now how the computer helps the world to communicate. It still amazes me in how fast computers change and how communication across the globe is enhanced with the computer. Computers have drastically changed how society lives and does business. Even small businesses can do global sales without leaving their location. With new strategies for business, comes cyber threats of identity theft and theft of intellectual property that brings information technology security and new laws into play. It is becoming a fast and ever challenging world. Computer science enables the ability to program software for protection against these kinds of threats and vulnerabilities. It also enables the ability to program artificial intelligence into the computer system software to enable society to meet their needs in more appropriate ways.

Prevalent to the current trend now is the dependency of the society on Information technology and communication systems. Every aspect of human life is one way or the other linked and controlled by information technology tools. The importance of information technology cannot be over emphasized as its unavailability could lead to a form of disaster or the other. Pivotal infrastructures like finance, healthcare, education and security are driven by information technology. However, information technology and its benefits are accompanied by vulnerabilities and risks that can be exploited by people with the necessary technical skills. Individuals like ‘Hackers’ and ‘Cyber Terrorist’ can cause disruption to information systems, commit financial fraud and also attack computers and networks. These attacks and disruptions could result to violence against people and properties. In some cases, death, serious injuries and severe economic loss could occur as a result of these attacks.

For example, the word computer would be changed to FRPSXWHU (Parsons 328). This method was easy because it was just a simple offset of the alphabet and you could just line up the letters of both alphabets and figure out what the message was.

Before modern technology, men would band together for the protection of their families. History has proven people group together for survival, whether that be warmth, food, or protection. The idea was that a group is stronger and more profitable than one person acting alone. Each tribe or gathering of individuals working together is considered a society. A society is nothing more than a group of people living together for a common purpose, or simply because it is more convenient. But, if all societies were thriving entities, then we would not know the hardships that have repeated throughout history, such as, poverty and famine. On the contrary, a society that works well is a society that works for the well-being of its individual members. A high functioning and successful society is built on a foundation of trust and equality and enforced by a governing body.