Cryptography had been around for a while before its technology was implemented. The Egyptians used hieroglyphic symbols to hide messages around 1900 BC (Sidhpurwala, 2023). Julius Cesar invented a form of encryption to send secret messages to his army by shifting the letters by three characters. This cryptographic method was used to protect messages from others seeing. Today with technology implemented, cryptography provides strong authentication, integrity checks, maintains confidentiality, and other methods.
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Reflection
In this course, I learned the importance of utilizing cryptography to maintain confidentiality and integrity in our systems. Before taking this course, I was only exposed to using encryption methods via radio frequency. I knew about encryption being used in our systems and networks but was not informed. After taking this course, I have a vast understanding of how important it is to use the art of cryptography. Implementing cryptography has a vital role in our everyday communication and usage. We input our credit card and personally identifiable information (PII) when shopping online. Encryption keeps our data secured by scrambling and preventing unwanted individuals from being able to read it. Some standards, such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), guide sellers to use encryption to protect our information. Healthcare organizations must follow Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) because they handle sensitive information such as Patient Healthcare Information (PHI). Encryption is crucial in protecting our information so we may not be a victim of any fraud. Using encryption in cybersecurity is a common standard because we want to protect the data in our systems. However, I learned that criminals might use encryption for illegal activities, such as protecting their data or asking for ransom after encrypting a victim's data. Law enforcement and government agencies may argue that strong encryption makes their duties difficult when In the wrong hands, but in contrast, privacy advocates label it as freedom of speech. As cybersecurity professionals, we must choose ethical reasoning when such situations arise.