Information Security Management, 2nd Edition

10.1 Cryptography Essentials

Organizations have a responsibility to secure the information they manage, whether health records, financial records, corporate records, or personally identifiable information, against unauthorized disclosure or alteration. At the same time, this information needs to be stored, transmitted, and processed to maintain operations. To satisfy these security requirements, organizations institute cryptographic protocols and policies designed to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of stored and transmitted data. Cryptography is the process of transforming plaintext into ciphertext and is the primary countermeasure for unauthorized release of message contents as well as serves as the basis for authentication systems, ...