8.3. Encryption 101

Cryptography is a set of techniques used to transform information into an alternate format that can later be reversed. This alternate format is referred to as the ciphertext and is typically created using a crypto algorithm and a crypto key. The crypto algorithm is simply a mathematical formula that is applied to the information you want to encrypt. The crypto key is an additional variable injected into the algorithm to ensure that the ciphertext is not derived using the same computational operation every time the algorithm processes information.

Let's say the number 42 is extremely important to you and you want to guard this value from peering eyes. You create the following crypto algorithm to encrypt this data:

data / crypto ...

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