What is Cipher?
Let's find out Cipher meaning, definition in crypto, what is Cipher, and all other detailed facts.
A Cipher is a tool used for information exchange without a third party being able to interfere or breach the privacy of said information. Cipher is a prominent concept in cryptography, the science of secure communication techniques.
Cipher takes the initial text of the message, or plaintext, and transforms it into ciphertext, which is coded to then be safely transmitted to the receiver. The receiver must be in possession of a key that helps decipher the ciphertext back into the original message.
The sender and the receiver determine the key prior to the communication. Ciphers should be able to create a ciphertext that is nearly or completely impossible to crack without knowing the key.
Prior to the development of digital technology, ciphers were done using pen and paper. There are numerous methods of manually encrypting a message without the use of a computer. They are known as classical ciphers and can be categorized into substitution and transposition ciphers.
The mid-20th century saw many developments in the field of cryptanalysis that led to the classical ciphers becoming easy to decrypt. One of the best-known examples of early electromechanical encryption devices was the Enigma machine. It played an important role in World War II up until the development of the British decryption device which cracked the Enigma.
Developments in computer science over the course of the 20th century led to the creation of new cryptography ciphers that are heavily computational. Such ciphers can only be cracked using computers.
Cryptocurrencies as a project were heavily popular among cryptography enthusiasts, known as cypherpunks. The security of cryptocurrencies is reinforced by the continuous use of cryptographic algorithms in blockchain networks.