Criptare

Criptare is the Romanian term for encryption and, more broadly, cryptography. It refers to the set of techniques and practices used to transform readable information (plaintext) into an unreadable form (ciphertext) to protect confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. Cryptography also encompasses methods for reversing the process (decryption), as well as related mechanisms such as key management, digital signatures, and authentication protocols.

Historically, cryptography evolved from simple substitution and transposition ciphers to modern mathematical approaches. The 20th century saw major advances with the development of symmetric-key methods and the birth of public-key cryptography, including Diffie-Hellman key exchange and RSA. These breakthroughs enabled secure communications over insecure channels and the widespread use of digital signatures and certificates.

Core concepts include encryption (converting plaintext to ciphertext using an algorithm and a key), decryption (restoring plaintext), and keys (secret or public). Cryptography is categorized by the type of keys used: symmetric cryptography uses the same key for encryption and decryption, while asymmetric cryptography uses a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. Hash functions provide data integrity and, in combination with keys, support authentication and non-repudiation through digital signatures.

Common algorithms and standards cover various roles: symmetric algorithms such as AES and ChaCha20; asymmetric algorithms like RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC); and hash functions such as SHA-2 and SHA-3. Cryptographic protocols underpin secure communications (for example, TLS/HTTPS), email security (PGP/S/MIME), and digital identity systems.

Challenges include key management, implementation flaws, and emerging threats such as quantum computing, which motivates ongoing development of post-quantum cryptography. Criptare remains essential for protecting information in storage and transit across digital systems.