Editing XOR cipher (section)

{{Short description|Encryption algorithm}}
In [[cryptography]], the '''simple XOR cipher''' is a type of ''additive [[cipher]]'',<ref>{{Harvnb|Tutte|1998|p=3}}</ref> an [[encryption algorithm]] that operates according to the principles:

:A <math>\oplus</math> 0 = A,
:A <math>\oplus</math> A = 0,
:A <math>\oplus</math> B = B <math>\oplus</math> A,
:(A <math>\oplus</math> B) <math>\oplus</math> C = A <math>\oplus</math> (B <math>\oplus</math> C),
:(B <math>\oplus</math> A) <math>\oplus</math> A = B <math>\oplus</math> 0 = B

For example where <math>\oplus</math> denotes the [[exclusive disjunction]] (XOR) operation.{{sfn|Lewin|2012|pp=14-19}} This operation is sometimes called modulus 2 addition (or subtraction, which is identical).<ref>{{Harvnb|Churchhouse|2002|p=11}}</ref> With this logic, a string of text can be encrypted by applying the bitwise XOR operator to every character using a given key.  To decrypt the output, merely reapplying the XOR function with the key will remove the cipher.