counterintuitive

Auguste KerckhoffsThe statement in the title may seem counter-intuitive – aren’t most security systems based on propriety secrets? Yes, they are. These secrets are the cryptographic root keys on which the security of a system is built. However, this does not mean that everything about a security architecture should remain a secret. On the contrary! This has been defined as one of the most important concepts in cryptography: Kerckhoffs’ principle. This principle states that a cryptosystem can be secure, even if everything about the system – except the key – is public knowledge. So, when it comes to securing the Read More