Cryptographic Solutions (OBJ 1.4, 2.3, & 2.4)

Algorithm (Cipher)
- Performs encryption or decryption
- ROT13 Cipher (Rotate 13 spots)
  - Example: C = P and so on
  - Pelcgbtencul vf sha = Cryptography is fun
- A Cipher is an algorithm that performs the encryption or decryption
- Can be seen as a mathematical function that tells you how you are going to encrypt or decrypt something.
Key
- Essential piece of information that determines the cipher output
- Encryption strength comes from the key, not the algorithm

Key Length
- Proportional to the level of security it provides
- A 256-bit key will give you a much higher degree of protection and it renders it exponentially more challenging for an attacker to break it.
- Moving from a 128-bit to a 256-bit key is not actually double as strong, it is exponentially as strong, you are squaring the value!
Key Rotation
- Regularly changing cryptographic keys
- Best practice for security longevity
- There are policies to rotate TLS keys regularly
- Note: Most encryption algorithms are open-source and publicly accessible
  - The key is really the only thing that provides us security
- Secrecy and confidentiality of those encryption keys gives us security
  - Store in secure hardware modules
  - Encrypt keys when at rest
  - Transmit keys securely when used
  - Limit key access to regular audits and monitoring for unauthorized access

Steganography
- The practice of hiding secret data within ordinary non-secret files or messages to avoid detection
Tokenization
- Substitutes sensitive data elements with non-sensitive equivalents called tokens
Data Masking/Data Obfuscation
- Process of disguising original data to protect sensitive information while maintaining its authenticity and usability