Cryptographic algorithm types and use cases
The two types of cryptography algorithms that we will dive into are symmetric cryptography algorithms and asymmetric encryption algorithms. We will also dig into the details of hashing algorithms, digital signatures, and message authentication codes (MACs).
Symmetric cryptography algorithms
This is the family of algorithms that relies on a symmetric key for both encrypting the plaintext and decrypting ciphertext. As we discussed earlier, storing the key in a secure and safe way is absolutely crucial for this type of algorithm. The need for sharing the key between both parties (sender and recipient) is one of the main drawbacks of these types of algorithms as the attacker could intercept the used channel and get access to the key. There have been several workarounds during history (remember, some of these algorithms have been around for many years). More streamlined approaches have been adopted in the digital world, and we will find...