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1. What is a symmetric cipher?

A symmetric cipher is an encryption algorithm where the same key is used for both
encryption and decryption. This means that the sender and receiver must both have access
to the same key, which needs to be kept secret to ensure the security of the encrypted
messages.

2. How does a symmetric cipher differ from an asymmetric cipher?

A symmetric cipher uses the same key for both encryption and decryption, while an
asymmetric cipher uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for
decryption. In asymmetric encryption, the public key can be shared openly, but the
private key must be kept secret. Symmetric ciphers are generally faster but require secure
key distribution, whereas asymmetric ciphers facilitate easier key distribution but are
typically slower.

3. What is the Caesar cipher, and how does it work?

The Caesar cipher is a type of substitution cipher where each letter in the plaintext is
shifted a certain number of places down or up the alphabet. For example, with a shift of
3, ‘A’ becomes ‘D’, ‘B’ becomes ‘E’, and so on. The key is the number of positions each
letter is shifted.

4. Example of encoding and decoding a message using the Caesar cipher with a shift
of 3:

 Encoding:
o Plaintext: HELLO
o Shift: 3
o Encrypted text: KHOOR (H -> K, E -> H, L -> O, L -> O, O -> R)
 Decoding:
o Encrypted text: KHOOR
o Shift: -3
o Plaintext: HELLO (K -> H, H -> E, O -> L, O -> L, R -> O)

5. What is a monoalphabetic cipher?

A monoalphabetic cipher is a substitution cipher where each letter in the plaintext is

mapped to a unique letter in the ciphertext. The mapping is fixed and does not change
throughout the message.

6. Advantages and limitations of monoalphabetic ciphers:

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Advantages:

 Simple to understand and implement.

 Relatively fast encryption and decryption.

Limitations:

 Susceptible to frequency analysis, where the frequency of letters in the ciphertext

can reveal the substitution pattern and help decrypt the message.

7. What is a polyalphabetic cipher, and how does it improve upon monoalphabetic

ciphers?

A polyalphabetic cipher uses multiple substitution alphabets to encrypt the message. This
means that the substitution pattern changes throughout the message, which makes
frequency analysis more difficult compared to monoalphabetic ciphers. One common
example is the Vigenère cipher.

8. What is the Hill cipher, and how does it use linear algebra in encryption?

The Hill cipher is a polygraphic substitution cipher that uses linear algebra. It encrypts
blocks of text (e.g., pairs or triplets of letters) using matrix multiplication. Each block of
plaintext is converted into a vector, and this vector is multiplied by an encryption matrix
to produce the ciphertext vector.

9. Process of encryption and decryption in the Hill cipher:

 Encryption: Convert plaintext into numerical vectors. Multiply these vectors by

an encryption matrix. Convert the resulting vectors back into letters.
 Decryption: Compute the inverse of the encryption matrix. Multiply the
ciphertext vectors by this inverse matrix to get plaintext vectors. Convert these
vectors back into letters.

10. What is the Playfair cipher, and how does it differ from the Caesar cipher?

The Playfair cipher is a digraph substitution cipher that encrypts pairs of letters instead of
single letters. It uses a 5x5 matrix of letters constructed from a keyword. Unlike the
Caesar cipher, which uses a simple shift, the Playfair cipher provides more complex
encryption based on letter pairs and the matrix.

11. Creating the Playfair cipher key table:

1. Choose a keyword (e.g., "KEYWORD").

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2. Remove duplicate letters and fill in the matrix with the remaining letters of the
alphabet (excluding 'J', which is combined with 'I').

12. Rules for encryption and decryption in the Playfair cipher:

 Encryption: Split plaintext into digraphs (pairs of letters). Locate each letter of
the digraph in the matrix and apply the following rules: If both letters are in the
same row, replace them with letters immediately to their right. If in the same
column, replace with letters immediately below. If neither of these, form a
rectangle and replace each letter with the letter on the same row but at the opposite
corner of the rectangle.
 Decryption: Apply the inverse of the encryption rules.

13. Example of encryption and decryption using the Playfair cipher:

 Encryption:
o Plaintext: HELLO
o Key matrix: [constructed from "KEYWORD"]
o Encrypted text: depends on the constructed matrix.
 Decryption: Reverse the encryption steps using the same matrix.

14. What is the Rail Fence cipher, and how does it work?

The Rail Fence cipher is a transposition cipher where the plaintext is written in a zigzag
pattern across multiple "rails" or lines. The ciphertext is created by reading off each rail
in sequence. For example, with 3 rails, you would write the message in a zigzag pattern
across 3 lines and then read each line sequentially.

15. Encoding and decoding a message using the Rail Fence cipher:

 Encoding:
o Plaintext: HELLO WORLD
o Rails: 3’’’
o Zigzag pattern:

H...O...W...
.E.L.O.R.L.
..L...O...D

  Ciphertext: HO WLR LEO D

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 Decoding: Reverse the process by writing the ciphertext in the zigzag pattern and
reading off the plaintext.

16. What is the Columnar Transposition cipher, and how does it differ from the Rail
Fence cipher?

The Columnar Transposition cipher is a transposition cipher where the plaintext is written
into a grid based on a keyword. The columns are then permuted based on the alphabetical
order of the letters in the keyword. It differs from the Rail Fence cipher, which uses a
zigzag pattern, as the Columnar Transposition rearranges columns based on the key.

17. Encoding a message using the Columnar Transposition cipher:

1. Write the plaintext into a grid according to the keyword length.

2. Number the columns based on the alphabetical order of the keyword.
3. Read the columns in the order determined by the numbers.

18. Example of encoding and decoding a message using Columnar Transposition:

 Encoding:
o Plaintext: HELLO WORLD
o Keyword: KEY
o Grid:

H E L
L O W
O R L
D

o Columns order (based on keyword KE Y): 2, 1, 3

o Ciphertext: EOL RLO HWLD
 Decoding: Reverse the encoding steps using the same key.

19. What is steganography, and how does it differ from cryptography?

Steganography is the practice of hiding a secret message within another, non-secret

message or medium, such as an image or audio file. Cryptography involves encrypting
information to make it unreadable to anyone without the key. Steganography hides the
existence of the message, while cryptography makes the message itself unreadable.
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20. Common methods used in steganography to hide information:

 Image Steganography: Hiding data in the least significant bits of pixel values.
 Audio Steganography: Hiding data within audio files by modifying the least
significant bits of audio samples.
 Text Steganography: Hiding information in text files by altering letter spacing,
font size, or adding specific patterns.

21. Primary goals of steganography:

 Concealment: Hide the existence of the message.

 Security: Ensure the hidden message remains undetected and unaltered.

22. Combining steganography and cryptography:

Steganography can be used to hide encrypted messages, adding an additional layer of

security. First, the message is encrypted using cryptography, and then the encrypted
message is hidden within a cover medium using steganography.

23. Strengths and weaknesses of steganography:

Strengths:

 Conceals the existence of the message, making detection difficult.

 Can be used in conjunction with cryptography for enhanced security.

Weaknesses:

 Can be detected if the medium is analyzed thoroughly or if patterns are detected.

 Does not protect against tampering or alteration of the cover medium.