How does encryption work?

Question

This is more like an advanced topic for those who are beginning to learn programming, but I think it is beneficial for everybody to have some understanding about it. Encryption is, as far as I know, regarded as one of the keys of system security. But it can also be used to lock down your system, like what has been done by ransomware such as wannacry. So can anybody please explain the mechanism of encryption in brief but easily understood manner?

Answer 1

At the most basic level, encryption is about changing text to make it harder to understand if you don't know the trick. The easiest methods are things like replacing a with b, and so on.

With computers, it gets much more interesting. As mentioned and demonstrated already, you can treat characters as numbers... and that means you can get really complicated. People search for algorithms which are easy to perform, but hard to do backward without a "key", and that is the way many systems work (like, for instance, PGP).

However, such methods aren't unbreakable, just time consuming to unwind without the key. Given enough time, many encryption methods can be broken if they rely upon a fixed key.

There is a whole subfield intersecting number theory & computer science pondering these questions from both angles. If you want something to really twist your mind around, look up quantum cryptography... mesh the weirdness of the subatomic world with communications security.

Answer 2

I'm not 100% sure how encryption works, but I know it involves math, turning characters to numbers, a mathematical equation to change the number as a "key", and that key being passed on so you can use it to solve the encryption.

Answer 3

One of my basic attempts.

https://code.sololearn.com/c7N18t6dN5vG/?ref=app

Answer 4

its simply an algorithm or a step by step execution of code that changes a human readable password or username or anything else to numbers and strings, that is if desired, so as to secure accounts from being hacked. Everyone can design their own encryption, but how strong it is, is determined by how complex the converted string is.

Answer 5

You can encrypt text using high secure encryption method.
https://code.sololearn.com/W13Pr9HP5fgz/?ref=app