This page gathers the 122 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Cryptography”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples.
- accumulator noun A one way membership function.
- aristocrat noun A cipher in which the original punctuation and spacing are retained.
- asymmetric adj Not involving a mutual exchange of keys between the sender and receiver.
- atomic authorization noun (A digitally signed document containing) published rights with cryptographically verifiable integrity, secured independently of the…
- autoclave adj Synonym of autokey.
- avalanche effect noun A property of some cipher systems in which a small change in the input results in a very large change in the output.
- bifid cipher noun A classical cipher that combines the Polybius square with transposition, and uses fractionation to achieve diffusion.
- bit noun Any datum that may take on one of exactly two values.
- blindable adj Such that, given an encrypted bit (binary digit), anybody can create a random ciphertext decrypting to the same bit.
- block noun A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message.
- block cipher noun Any deterministic cipher that operates on fixed-size groups of bits (binary digits), called blocks, with an unvarying transformation…
- Caesar cipher noun A simple form of encryption in which each letter in the plaintext is shifted through the alphabet a number of positions (for example A→D…
- Cardan grille noun A sheet of card or thin metal, etc., used in composing secret messages. The words of the message are written through a number of holes cut…
- chosen-ciphertext attack noun An attack on a cryptosystem that relies on the attacker's ability to choose any ciphertext of their liking and decrypt it into the…
- chosen-plaintext attack noun An attack on a cryptosystem that relies on the attacker's ability to choose any plaintext of their liking and encrypt it into the…
- cilly noun Any predictable facet of the Enigma Machine cipher due to operator error or laziness, whose existence helped the Allies to break the code.
- cipher noun A cryptographic system using an algorithm that converts letters or sequences of bits into ciphertext.
- ciphertext-only attack noun An attack on a cryptosystem that relies only on the attacker's knowledge of some ciphertexts encrypted with that system and key. Less…
- classical cipher noun A cryptographic algorithm was used historically and are easy to solve by hand or using modern technology.
- CM noun Initialism of cryptographic module.
- code verb To encode.
- codebook noun A book, table, database, or other object that stores the mapping between plaintext words or phrases and their equivalents in a code.
- codeword noun A string representing an encoded piece of text.
- cold boot attack noun A type of sidechannel attack in which somebody with physical access to a computer is able to retrieve encryption keys from a running…
- collision attack noun An attack on a cryptographic hash function that is able to find a hash collision (a pair of different inputs that have the same hash)…
- crib verb To use a known piece of information corresponding to a section of encrypted text, to work out the remaining sections.
- cryptoviral extortion noun A data kidnapping attack studied in the field of cryptovirology, in which malware encrypts user data and asks for payment in exchange for…
- cryptovirology noun The use of cryptography to design powerful malicious software such as ransomware and asymmetric backdoors.
- decode noun A product of decoding
- delta verb To calculate the differences between the characters in an enciphered text and the characters a fixed number of positions previous.
- depth noun A set of more than one ciphertext enciphered with the same key.
- dictionary attack noun An attempt to illegally access a computer network, website, etc., that uses a list of words (from a dictionary) to try to guess decryption…
- digest noun The result of applying a hash function to a message.
- encrypt verb To transform information using encryption in a way that it is believed only authorized parties can decode.
- encryption noun The process of obscuring information to make it unreadable without special knowledge, key files, or passwords.
- Feistel cipher noun A symmetric structure used in the construction of block ciphers. It is an iterated cipher with an internal function called a round function.
- fingerprint noun A unique identification for a public key in asymmetric cryptography.
- forty weepy weepy noun The cryptanalysis of an Enigma message which was a continuation of a previous message sent at a known time.
- foursquare noun A four-square cipher.
- fractionate verb To divide each plaintext symbol into several ciphertext symbols as a preliminary stage of encryption.
- fractionation noun A preliminary stage of encryption that divides each plaintext symbol into several ciphertext symbols.
- homomorphic encryption noun A form of encryption that permits users to perform computations on its encrypted data without first decrypting it.
- idiomorph noun A pattern word.
- integrity noun With regards to data encryption, ensuring that information is not altered by unauthorized persons in a way that is not detectable by…
- IP noun Initialism of initial permutation.
- Jefferson disk noun Any of a set of stackable disks, each having the letters of the alphabet arranged in some sequence around its edge, used in a cipher system.
- key noun A piece of information (e.g., a password or passphrase) used to encode or decode a message or messages.
- key encapsulation mechanism noun A mechanism for sharing a secret key securely between recipients, despite the presence of adversaries.
- key stretching noun Techniques used to make a key more secure against brute force attacks by increasing the resources needed to test each possible key.
- keychain noun A digital repository for the storage of cryptographic keys.
- keyholder noun The individual or organization with access to a cryptographic key.
- keyholding adj That stores or holds a cryptographic key.
- keyphrase noun A phrase used in encryption as a key, like a single keyword (password).
- keyring noun A set of data holding linked encryption keys.
- keyspace noun The notional space that contains all possible cryptographic keys.
- keystream noun A stream of random or pseudorandom characters that are combined with the plaintext to produce a ciphertext.
- keyword noun Any word used as the key to a code.
- knapsack noun A set of values from which a subset is chosen.
- known-plaintext attack noun An attack on a cryptosystem that relies on the attacker's knowledge of not just some ciphertexts encrypted with that system and key, but…
- malleability noun a property of a cryptographic algorithms in which an adversary can alter a ciphertext such that it decrypts to a related plaintext
- malleable adj in which an adversary can alter a ciphertext such that it decrypts to a related plaintext
- mixed alphabet noun The mapping from plaintext to ciphertext characters in a substitution cipher, when it is not merely a shift or reversal but an arbitrary…
- monoalphabetic adj Of a substitution cipher, using the same fixed mappings from plaintext to cipher letters across the entire text.
- monoliteral adj That uses a single letter as a cipher
- multicollision adj Involving multiple hash collisions.
- Needham-Schroeder protocol noun Either of two key transport protocols for use over insecure networks, one based on symmetric encryption (and forming the basis of Kerberos)…
- Nihilist cipher noun A symmetric cipher in which a Polybius square using a mixed alphabet is used to convert both the plain text and a keyword to a series of…
- nonce noun A value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream, in order to prevent replay attacks.
- nothing-up-my-sleeve number noun A number which, by its construction, is above suspicion of having hidden properties; used in creating cryptographic functions such as…
- oblivious transfer noun A transfer in which a sender sends some information to a receiver but does not know what is received.
- one-time pad noun A form of encryption where each bit or character from the plaintext is encrypted by a modular addition with a bit or character from a…
- pad noun A random key (originally written on a disposable pad) of the same length as the plaintext.
- padding noun Extraneous text added to a message for the purpose of concealing its beginning, ending, or length.
- passive attack noun An attack in which the cryptanalyst cannot interact with any of the parties involved, attempting to break the system solely based upon…
- password noun A string of characters used to log in to a computer or network, to access a level in a video game, and so on; archetypally a word but…
- pepper noun A randomly-generated value that is added to another value (such as a password) prior to hashing. Unlike a salt, a new one is generated for…
- permutation box noun A method of permuting or transposing bits (binary digits) across S-box inputs while retaining diffusion.
- pigpen noun The pigpen cipher.
- pigpen cipher noun A geometric simple substitution cipher, which exchanges letters for symbols which are fragments of a grid.
- plain text noun Text or any data that is to be encrypted (as opposed to ciphertext).
- Playfair noun Ellipsis of Playfair cipher.
- Polybius square noun A grid used for fractionating plaintext characters so that they can be represented by a smaller set of symbols.
- polynomial basis noun Specifically, a basis, of the form {1, α, ..., αⁿ⁻¹}, of a finite extension F_(qⁿ) of a Galois field F_q, where α is a primitive element of…
- preimage attack noun An attack on a cryptographic hash function that is able to find a preimage for a hash; that is, it is able to determine (faster than by…
- presignature noun An intermediate value used in forming a signature, unrelated to the contents of the message being signed.
- proof of work noun A form of cryptographic proof in which a prover proves to verifiers that a certain amount of a specific computational effort has been…
- rail fence cipher noun A transposition cipher in which the plain text is written in a zigzag fashion diagonally up and down on successive "rails" of an imaginary…
- rainbow adj Of or pertaining to rainbow tables.
- ratchet noun A mechanism for generating a new unique key for each message by moving forward in a sequence.
- rotor machine noun An mixed electronic and mechanical stream cipher composed of a series of wheels, widespread use from the 1920s–1970s.
- Russian copulation noun A method of rearranging plaintext before encryption by breaking it into two parts and inverting their order, so as to conceal obvious…
- S-box noun A basic component of symmetric-key algorithms, which performs substitution, transforming one set of bits into another.
- salt noun A sequence of random data added to plain text data (such as passwords or messages) prior to encryption or hashing, in order to make brute…
- second preimage attack noun An attack on a cryptographic hash function that is able to find a second preimage for a hash and its preimage; that is, given a hash and an…
- secret sharing noun Any method for distributing a secret amongst a group of participants, each of whom is allocated a share; the secret can be reconstructed…
- seed noun The initialization state of a pseudorandom number generator or similar system.
- seed number noun Synonym of seed (“generation”); a pseudorandom number generator or a code that generates a game's world or environment.
- self-signed adj Of a security certificate: signed by the same entity whose identity it certifies; signed with its own private key.
- semiweak adj Producing only two different subkeys.
- signature noun Data attached to a message that guarantees that the message originated from its claimed source.
- spice noun An additional input parameter used as a secondary, non-secret key in the Hasty Pudding cipher.
- split key noun A cryptographic key that is divided into two or more values that individually cannot be used to deduce the entire key.
- sponge construction noun A repetitive construction of a hash function with a variable-length input and an arbitrary-length output based on a fixed-length…
- steganography noun The use of small computer files to communicate secret information.
- stego adj Steganographic; relating to or hidden using steganography.
- stream cipher noun a symmetric-key cipher in which plaintext digits are combined with a pseudorandom cipher digit stream
- subkey noun A partial key.
- subround noun A subsidiary stage of encryption, part of a round.
- substitution cipher noun A method of encryption by which units of plaintext are substituted with ciphertext according to a regular system; the "units" may be single…
- symmetric adj Using the same key (or keys that are trivially related) for both encryption and decryption.
- trapdoor verb To subvert (a cryptographic scheme) by means of a secret parameter that makes the trapdoor function easy to compute.
- trapdoor function noun A function that is easy to compute in one direction but difficult to compute in the opposite direction (finding its inverse) without…
- Turingery noun A manual cryptanalysis technique used in breaking the Lorenz cipher during World War II, based on deducing the wheel settings of the…
- tweak noun An additional input to a block cipher, used in conjunction with the key to select the permutation computed by the cipher.
- tweakable adj Of a block cipher: accepting a second input (the "tweak"), used in conjunction with the key to select the permutation computed by the…
- unblind verb To convert (a blind signature) back to the unblinded state (as opposed to the blinded state).
- unkeyed adj Without a key.
- unsalted adj Without a cryptographic salt.
- web of trust noun A decentralized cryptographic mechanism for establishing the authenticity of the binding between a public key and its owner.
- whiten verb To increase the security of an iterated block cipher by steps that combine the data with portions of the key.
- zero-knowledge proof noun An interactive method for one party to prove to another that a (usually mathematical) statement is true, without revealing anything other…
- zeroization noun The erasure of sensitive parameters from a cryptographic module to prevent their disclosure if the equipment is captured.