A Comprehensive Overview of the Unequivocal Influence and Evolution of Cryptography on Security
Aadya Jain · International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology · 2023
Abstract: As this society unfolds into a conundrum of new possibilities and technical advancements, it simultaneously sets ground to several unprecedented challenges for its users. What today’s digitally ensnared society doesn’t understand is its vulnerability to malicious software, cyber attacks, and innumerable privacy violations that come their way as they mold themselves into this digital realm. For a country like India, that well adapts to the newer technologies invented across the globe, it is astonishing to see almost 1.3 million cybersecurity breaches being recorded in 2022, a hideous spike from 2019. Current internet users feel the need to be active on such delusional platforms every minute of their day, exposing themselves at every stage. This empowers unethical practices and practitioners to lure unsuspecting candidates into their traps and obtain private information linked to several sensitive, especially monetary affairs of the individual, consequently resulting in severe financial losses. Ironically, the very technological influence that facilitates security breaches is one that helps in its deterrence and prevention. One of the most predominant and recent technologies that have empowered its influence over such prevention is cryptography and encryption. Traditionally, prior to the widespread awareness about cryptography, companies and individuals used Access Control Lists(ACLs) that work on the basic principle of restricting or revoking access on certain administrative grounds offering data confidentiality and security on the internet. Apart from these companies, in the ancient times, there was significant use of Caesar Cipher, a way of encryption that works on the principle of substitution by a shift of some number down the alphabet. These traditional methods lacked transparency, had increased complexity, were insufficient for rapidly growing networks such as online social media, and also lacked scalability. In order to compensate for these challenges, a newer technology concatenated with cryptography is to be made prevalent in society so that it can offer more scalable and trustworthy encryption and security prevention from online security breaches across the globe. With this ideology, prevention and awareness both can be obtained and a better and safer society can be established in this generation.