SECURING FIBRE CHANNEL FABRICS - Brocade

Common Cryptography TermsHere are some basic terms used in cryptography.Cryptographic algorithm or cipher. The actual procedure used tomanipulate a readable message and render it unreadable.Transposition cipher. A code that shifts or slides the characters in asequence (such as an alphabet) either to the left or to the right by aspecified number of places to encrypt data.Substitution cipher. A code that mixes up the characters in asequence (such as an alphabet) in a random order to encrypt data.Cleartext. Readable data that is transmitted or stored in an unencryptedor readable format.Plaintext. A cryptographic term that refers to the input to anencryption algorithm. The difference between cleartext and plaintextis subtle and they are often used interchangeably, albeitincorrectly.Ciphertext. The output of an encryption algorithm, that is,encrypted data that is unreadable (the opposite of plaintext).Encryption. The process of converting readable data into anunreadable format.Decryption. The process of converting unreadable data into readabledata (the opposite of encryption).Key. The secret code made up of a sequence of characters, bits,and/or instructions used in conjunction with an encryption algorithmto encrypt and decrypt messages made up of a sequence ofcharacters, bits, and/or instructions.Key space. The total number of possible keys that exist using agiven key size and algorithm.Cryptographic system or cryptosystem. The hardware or softwareimplementation used to convert plaintext into ciphertext and viceversa.Securing Fibre Channel Fabrics 75