home/glossary/Cryptography

Cryptography

nounverified·updated May 9, 2026

Is categorized as either secret key or public key. Secret key cryptography is based on the use of a single cryptographic key shared between two parties. The same key is used to encrypt and decrypt data. This key is kept secret by the two parties. Public key cryptography is a form of cryptography which makes use of two keys: a public key and a private key. The two keys are related but have the property that, given the public key, it is computationally infeasible to derive the private key [FIPS 140-1]. In a public key cryptosystem, each party has its own public/private key pair. The public key can be known by anyone; the private key is kept secret.

polysemousNISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2

Senses

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Cybersecurity Lexiconextended definition available

The use of mathematical techniques to provide security services, such as confidentiality, data integrity, entity authentication, and data origin authentication.

ISACA Cybersecurity Glossary

The art of designing, analyzing and attacking cryptographic schemes

NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2

The discipline that embodies the principles, means, and methods for the transformation of data in order to hide their semantic content, prevent their unauthorized use, or prevent their undetected modification.

NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2sense 2 pending review

The discipline that embodies principles, means, and methods for providing information security, including confidentiality, data integrity, non-repudiation, and authenticity.

NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2sense 4 pending review

Art or science concerning the principles, means, and methods for rendering plain information unintelligible and for restoring encrypted information to intelligible form.

Wordset Dictionary

act of writing in code or cipher

Wordset Dictionary

the science of analyzing and deciphering codes and ciphers and cryptograms

Classifications

Entity Type

Capability92%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5
?unassignedlast reviewed

Sensitivity

unclassified

Information Class

unclassified

Variants

synonym
codingcryptanalysiscryptanalyticscryptologysecret writingsteganography
plural
Cryptographies
possessive
Cryptography's
pluralpossessive
Cryptographies'