Cryptography - Origin

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Human beings from ages had two inherent needs - (a) to communicate and share information and (b) to communicate selectively. These two needs gave rise to the art of coding the messages in such a way that only the intended people could have access to the information. Unauthorized people could not extract any information, even if the scrambled messages fell in their hands.

The art and science of concealing the messages to introduce secrecy in information security is recognized as cryptography.

The word 'cryptography' was coined by combining two Greek words, 'Krypto' meaning hidden and 'graphene' meaning writing.

Evolution of Cryptography

Cryptography has been around for a really long time, even before computers and the Internet. People always wanted to hide their messages, so they found clever ways to do it.

One of the earliest known uses of cryptography dates back to ancient Egypt, around 2000 BCE. Grave walls and other surfaces were hidden with hieroglyphics and symbols to convey important messages. These symbols were like a secret language that only a few people could understand.

Another famous example comes from ancient Greece. The Spartans were warriors and used a technique called the Skytel. They tied a piece of paper to a tree of a certain size and wrote their message along the length of the paper. If the message was released from the wand, the message would be distorted and unreadable unless one had a full-sized wand.

During and after the European Renaissance, various Italian and Papal states led the rapid proliferation of cryptographic techniques. Various analysis and attack techniques were researched in this era to break the secret codes.

• Improved coding techniques such as Vigenere Coding came into existence in the 15th century, which offered moving letters in the message with a number of variable places instead of moving them the same number of places.

• Only after the 19th century, cryptography evolved from the ad hoc approaches to encryption to the more sophisticated art and science of information security.

• In the early 20th century, the invention of mechanical and electromechanical machines, such as the Enigma rotor machine, provided more advanced and efficient means of coding the information.

• During the period of World War II, both cryptography and cryptanalysis became excessively mathematical.

With the advances taking place in this field, government organizations, military units, and some corporate houses started adopting the applications of cryptography. They used cryptography to guard their secrets from others. Now, the arrival of computers and the Internet has brought effective cryptography within the reach of common people.

Cryptography Origin

Ancient Beginnings − Long ago, ancient civilizations like Egypt and Greece began using secret codes to hide their messages. They used special signs and techniques like Scytale to secure their message.

Evolution in Antiquity − Over time, people in places like Rome got smarter about keeping secrets. Leaders used Caesar ciphers and other codes to send messages that only their trusted allies could understand.

Medieval − During the Middle Ages, people also developed private laws. Sophisticated ciphers were developed, such as the Vigenère Cipher, which uses keywords to scramble messages.

Revolution and Knowledge − In later times, intellectuals such as Leon Battista Alberti and Blaise de Vigenaire further improved the laws. It was rigorously disassembled and used for vital tasks such as sending secret messages in warfare.

Military and Commonwealth Importance − Private codes have become too expensive for militaries and states. It was used to plan wars, spy on the enemy, and communicate secretly with other nations.

Industrial Revolution − With the advent of machines during the Industrial Revolution, people wrote even more beautiful code. Devices like Enigma were developed to better understand messages.

The Modern Era − Now, thanks to computers and the Internet, privacy laws are more important than ever. Intelligent people create special rules and regulations to keep our messages safe when they are transmitted over the Internet.

Relevance in modern society − Privacy laws are relevant today. They help keep our information safe while shopping online or sending messages to friends. Without them, people could view our privacy and cause trouble.

From 1800 to the First World War

From the 1800s until the First World War, cryptography made great strides. Charles Babbage and Frederick Kasisky made breakthroughs in latent mathematical analysis. Cipher solving techniques developed by Edgar Allan Poe became popular. Cryptography played a role in historical events such as the Mata Hari murder and the Dreyfus case. During World War I, Room 40 defied German naval code and blocked the Zimmermann wire, affecting America's entry into the war. Gilbert Varnam proposed the teleprinter cipher, which led to the development of cipher devices and unbreakable disposable pads. The pre-World War II enigma mathematical methods of William F. Friedman and Marion Rejewski also became prominent.

When was encryption invented, and by whom?

The first written evidence of encryption can be traced back to ancient Egypt. About 4,000 years ago, the tomb of nobleman Khnumhotep II contained inscriptions made during his lifetime. However, some unusual images were used that obscured the original meaning of the text. In Egypt, ancient encryption was primarily used to protect knowledge, as education was a privilege only available to the upper classes of society, and it was also a means of teaching writing skills and used for religious reasons therefore, as in reference to forbidden things.

The first recorded use of encryption for military purposes dates back to about 500 B.C. Spartan encryption uses a feature called scytale, which could send and receive secret messages. A thin strip of leather was placed around the tube and text was written along the length of the tube. Once the tape was wrapped from the cylinder, the text became eligible unless the reader had the same cylinder. This is the first time that basic concepts commonly found in modern cryptographic technologies have been applied to encryption and decryption today.

The first type of encryption

The first type of encryption is a substitution cipher which uses a very simple method to substitute other units (characters or groups of characters) for other units based on various substitution rules, e.g., A=N, B=O and so on. Before computers sender and receiver Encryption security was ensured by installing cipher keys nearby. Thus, even if the messenger was captured, the content of the message remained obscure.