Cryptographic algorithm
A cryptographic algorithm is a mathematical procedure that transforms data or generates cryptographic values to provide security properties such as confidentiality, integrity, or authentication.
Real-World Cryptography
An algorithm designed to provide security properties such as confidentiality, integrity, authentication, or non-repudiation for information or communications.
- How it is used
- Uses specific cryptographic methods to secure communications and support confidentiality or authentication in adversarial settings.
- How deep it goes
- Defines algorithms, attacks, primitives, protocols, and standardization, but stops short of teaching secure algorithm design.
- Examples
- Uses AES, public Wi‑Fi, intercepted messages, standards, and the Dual EC and GOST backdoor cases.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate trusted algorithms, recognize failure signals, and identify when established primitives or protocols need expert support.
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Hacking Cryptography
A cryptographic algorithm is an algorithm that transforms data to provide security properties such as confidentiality, integrity, authentication, or nonrepudiation.
- How it is used
- Explains cryptographic algorithms through practical implementation, attack demonstrations, and defensive engineering guidance.
- How deep it goes
- Descends into code-level implementations and exploits while stopping short of the underlying mathematical theory.
- Examples
- Uses Go code, rainbow tables, hashed-password cracking, and established implementations such as OpenSSL.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate implementations, observe attack exploits, and choose established cryptographic components for production use.
Read how Hacking Cryptography explains cryptographic algorithm →
Related concepts
- cryptographic primitiveincludes · A cryptographic primitive is a fundamental algorithmic building block that provides a basic security function such as encryption, hashing, or digital signing.
- SHA-3includes · SHA-3 is a NIST-standardized family of cryptographic hash functions based on the Keccak sponge construction and providing multiple fixed-length output sizes.
- cryptographic implementationused by · A cryptographic implementation is a software or hardware realization of cryptographic algorithms, constructions, or protocols.
- randomnessused by · Randomness is the property of a process or outcome involving chance or probabilistic variation rather than being fully determined by available conditions.
- hash functioncontrasts with · A hash function deterministically maps input data to a value in a bounded output range, commonly for indexing, lookup, comparison, or integrity checking.
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