Definition:Cipher (Cryptography)/Key
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Definition
In the context of cryptography, a key is a piece of information which:
- is used to convert plaintext to ciphertext
- allows the ciphertext to be transformed back into the original plaintext.
These two processes may use different keys.
Also see
- Results about ciphers in the context of cryptography can be found here.
Sources
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): cipher (cypher): 3.
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): key