Cryptanalysis

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What Does Cryptanalysis Mean?

Cryptanalysis is the decryption and analysis of codes, ciphers or encrypted text. Cryptanalysis uses mathematical formulas to search for algorithm vulnerabilities and break into cryptography or information security systems.

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Techopedia Explains Cryptanalysis

Cryptanalysis attack types include:

  • Known-Plaintext Analysis (KPA): Attacker decrypt ciphertexts with known partial plaintext.
  • Chosen-Plaintext Analysis (CPA): Attacker uses ciphertext that matches arbitrarily selected plaintext via the same algorithm technique.
  • Ciphertext-Only Analysis (COA): Attacker uses known ciphertext collections.
  • Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attack: Attack occurs when two parties use message or key sharing for communication via a channel that appears secure but is actually compromised. Attacker employs this attack for the interception of messages that pass through the communications channel. Hash functions prevent MITM attacks.
  • Adaptive Chosen-Plaintext Attack (ACPA): Similar to a CPA, this attack uses chosen plaintext and ciphertext based on data learned from past encryptions.
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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.