Editing Encryption (section)

{{short description|Process of converting plaintext to ciphertext}}
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{{About|algorithms for encryption and decryption|an overview of cryptographic technology in general|Cryptography|the music album|Encryption (album)}}

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[[File:Public key encryption keys.svg|alt=Text being turned into nonsense, then gets converted back to original|thumb|300x300px|<s>A simple illustration of public-key cryptography, one of the most widely used forms of encryption</s>]]
<s><ref name=":5" />In [[Cryptography law|cryptography]], '''encryption''' (more specifically, [[Code|encoding]]) is the process of transforming  information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as [[plaintext]], into an alternative form known as [[ciphertext]]. Despite its goal, encryption does not itself prevent interference but denies the intelligible content to a would-be interceptor.</s>

<s>For technical reasons, an encryption scheme usually uses a [[pseudo-random]] encryption [[Key (cryptography)|key]] generated by an [[algorithm]]. It is possible to decrypt the message without possessing the key but, for a well-designed encryption scheme, considerable computational resources and skills are required. An authorized recipient can easily decrypt the message with the key provided by the originator to recipients but not to unauthorized users.</s>

<s>Historically, various forms of encryption have been used to aid in cryptography. Early encryption techniques were often used in military messaging. Since then, new techniques have emerged and become commonplace in all areas of modern computing.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Kessler|first=Gary|date=November 17, 2006|title=An Overview of Cryptography|url=https://www.garykessler.net/library/crypto.html|journal=Princeton University}}</ref> Modern encryption schemes use the concepts of [[Public-key cryptography|public-key]]<ref name=":5" /> and [[Symmetric-key algorithm|symmetric-key]].<ref name=":1" /> Modern encryption techniques ensure security because modern computers are inefficient at cracking the encryption.</s>