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Cryptology
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Greek for “science of secrets” (kryptos meaning "hidden", logos meaning "science") The “science of secrets” in all its forms, covering both cryptography and cryptanalysis.
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Cryptography
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Greek for "hidden writing" (kryptos meaning "hidden", and graphein meaning "to write")
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Cryptanalysis
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Greek for “breaking secrets” (kryptos meaning "hidden", and analyein meaning "to break up") The science of deducing the plaintext from a ciphertext, without knowledge of the key. (i.e. deciphering codes)
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Steganography
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Greek for “obscured writing” (steganos meaning "covered", and graphein meaning "to write") The study of obscuring the message so that it cannot be seen.
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Encryption
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The representation of information in code or cipher. The process of turning plaintext into ciphertext.
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Decryption
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The extraction of information which was hidden by encryption. The process of revealing the plaintext hidden in the ciphertext.
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Ciphertext
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The message after it has been encrypted. It contains the same information as the original plaintext, except that it is now protected by some form of encryption. It has been “scrambled” and needs to be decrypted before it can be read.
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Plaintext
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The original message before it has been encrypted. (Or this can also refer to the output obtained after the ciphertext has been decrypted.) It is not protected by any form of encryption. It is readable.
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Code
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A typical code substitutes each word or phrase in the original message with another character or set of characters. The only key is a codebook.
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Cipher
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A system of transforming plaintext into ciphertext by utilizing a key of variable value. A cipher transforms individual characters or bits. One of many possible ciphertexts can be produced, depending on the key value used.
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Key
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The element that turns the general encryption algorithm into a specific method for encryption. The encryption method being used by the sender and receiver does not have to be kept a secret, but the key does.
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