Cryptography in TON
Cryptography is the discipline of how to ensure the privacy, authenticity and integrity of information. This science includes such components as: identification, information encryption, electronic digital signatures (EDS) and others.
Goals of Cryptography
The confidentiality of information in various operations with certain information data is the main purpose of cryptography. Another goal is the ability for individuals or organizations that have the right to access certain information to obtain and decrypt that data.
Key Terms and Concepts of Cryptography
Encryption is the operation of changing the source text into ciphertext by applying a cryptographic sequence and encryption key.
Decryption is the reverse process of transforming the encrypted text into the original text using the key and cryptography algorithm.
Cryptography algorithms are functions that provide data encryption and decryption processes.
Cryptographic keys are private data used by cryptographic algorithms. Keys are divided into asymmetric and symmetric keys in various operations. Such as:
- Verification and installation of EDS;
- Decrypting or encrypting messages;
- Determination of the authenticity code.
In addition to the basic processes of decrypting and encrypting information, cryptography contains techniques such as:
Hashing is a function for changing information of any length into a static value representing a unique fingerprint of the original data set. Hash functions have the feature of irreversibility of the original data, i.e. the original information cannot be reconstructed by its hash.
Authentication is a procedure for verifying the authenticity of a specific device or user. Cryptographic authentication methods include the use of tokens, certificates and cryptographic protocols (e.g. SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security).
Principles of Cryptography
Integrity of information – a guarantee that the information will not be altered after transmission.
Authentication – verification of the identity of both parties involved.
Privacy – prevention of information leakage and protection against unauthorized access.
Indefensibility – ensuring that the sender cannot dispute that a particular message was sent by him (this is often realized by using digital signatures, linking to the author of the message).
Historical eras of Cryptography development
Monoalphabetic Cipher
This type of information encryption was used as far back as ancient Egypt and Rome. Caesas cipher is considered to be one example.
Polyalphabetic Ciphers
This method began to be used in the Middle Ages. It is also known as a multi-alphabetic cipher. The essence of this method is that simple substitution ciphers are used to encode a simple character, according to a certain rule.
Classical Cryptography
Used during World Wars, such as the Enigma machine. Enigma was a special cipher machine invented by German engineer A. Schebrius in 1918. It was used to encrypt and decrypt confidential letters, messages, and other important secret information.
Modern Cryptography
Applies asymmetric and symmetric ciphers, as well as hashing functions. It is based on algorithms of mathematics and computational complexity.
Types of modern Cryptography
Asymmetric and symmetric cryptography are two fundamental types of cryptographic algorithms that are used to keep information secure.
Symmetric Cryptography (secret key cryptography) uses a single key to encode and decode information. This key is usually known only to the sender and receiver of the data. Symmetric cryptography performs operations quickly and efficiently, so it is ideal for processing large amounts of information. The main disadvantage is the need to send the key securely, which is not always possible.
The main known symmetric cryptography schemes include: AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), DES (Data Encryption Standard), RC4, 3DES (Triple DES).
Asymmetric Cryptography (public-key cryptography) uses two keys: one public and one private. The public key is usually not hidden from others, while the private key is confidential. In addition, the information that is encoded by the public key is decrypted using the corresponding private key and vice versa. The main advantage of the asymmetric method of cryptography is the absence of the need for prior transmission of the key, due to the fact that the public key is freely distributed.
The main known mechanisms of asymmetric cryptography include: ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography), RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman), DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm).
Often a combination of both technologies (symmetric and asymmetric cryptography) is used. Therefore, hybrid encryption was created on the basis of symmetric and asymmetric coding.
Hybrid Encryption is an approach that combines symmetric with asymmetric encryption to provide a high level of security and efficiency in data transmission. This combination uses asymmetric encryption for secure key exchange and symmetric encryption for the information encoding process itself. This method was developed by Nikolai Durov and a team of Telegram programmers.
The main problem that hybrid encryption solves is to utilize the strengths of both methods. Asymmetric encryption provides a high level of security when exchanging keys between two parties, but it is less efficient and requires more computing resources to encrypt and decrypt large amounts of data. Symmetric encryption, on the other hand, provides fast information processing, but requires a reliable method of key exchange between the sender and receiver.
The standard hybrid encryption process begins with the sender creating a symmetric key. The symmetric key is then encrypted using the recipient's public key, (a key that is part of an asymmetric key pair). The encrypted symmetric key is sent along with the encrypted data to the recipient. When the recipient receives the message, it decrypts the symmetric key using its private key and then applies this key to decrypt the information.
The role and application of cryptography in TON (The Open Network) blockchain
Cryptography is an integral part of TON blockchain technology, playing a key role in ensuring data security, confidentiality and integrity. It is used to verify transactions through encrypting each item and writing to a distributed ledger, making the data resistant to attacks. Digital signatures confirm the authenticity of transactions and the legitimacy of network participants.
Smart contracts are protected by cryptography, ensuring their automatic and secure execution. Cryptographic keys play an important role in authenticating users, managing access and maintaining data confidentiality. The system uses state-of-the-art algorithms, including RSA and AES, to protect information during storage and transmission.
Asymmetric encryption allows information sharing without disclosing access keys, and builds trust among users. Hash functions provide uniqueness to registry entries, protecting them from tampering and unauthorized modification. This helps increase network capacity and makes TON blockchain attractive for various commercial applications.
Cryptography not only strengthens the security of the network, but also creates conditions for its further development and expansion, introduction of new technologies and services.