Remember secret handshakes and disappearing ink? Well, random number generators, MACs, and public key encryption do the same thing, but in a 21st century way. Learn how to keep your electronic secrets top secret.
Too often, cryptography is treated like magic pixie dust: spread it around generously and hope for the best. But, there’s nothing mystical or enchanted about cryptography — it’s just another tool.
Like any other tool, cryptography can be very effective when applied appropriately. With a clear, definitive goal in mind, cryptography can prevent something from happening (such as exposing sensitive data on a network), or detect that something has happened (for instance, a critical system file has been tampered with). Used improperly or without expertise or clear intent, cryptography provides little more than a false sense of security.
Let’s take a look at the building blocks of cryptography — random number generators, hash and MAC functions, symmetric and public key encryption algorithms, and digital signatures — and see how each of these powerful tools can be used effectively. We’ll stay away from the mathematical underpinnings of cryptography, and focus instead on how it’s used in practice.
So, put away your pixie dust and get ready to make your own powerful mojo.
Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4
Think back to the last system you deployed. It was probably made up of several applications, each designed to manage and process data according to certain abstract logic (often called “business rules”). In your system, it’s also likely that at least some of your business rules were designed to protect your data. It’s those rules — particularly…
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