Cryptography Glossary Explorer
Explore essential concepts, mathematical formulas, and definitions. All CryptoViz documentation articles automatically cross-link terminology to this explorer.
Glossary Terms
Caesar Cipher
Classical substitution cipher shifting alphabet characters by a fixed integer offset.
Vigenère Cipher
Polyalphabetic substitution cipher repeating a secret keyword to shift characters.
Advanced Encryption Standard
Symmetric block cipher standard using 128-bit blocks and 128/192/256-bit keys.
RSA Cryptosystem
Public-key cryptosystem based on the mathematical difficulty of factoring large composite primes.
SHA-256
256-bit cryptographic hash function belonging to the SHA-2 family.
Initialization Vector
Arbitrary block of input used to randomize block cipher encryption modes.
Nonce
An arbitrary number used only once in a cryptographic communication or protocol.
Cryptographic Salt
Random data added as an additional input to a one-way function that hashes passwords.
Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange
Mathematical protocol enabling two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel.
Merkle Tree
Binary tree of hashes used for efficient and secure verification of large data structures.
Brute Force Attack
Cryptanalytic attack systematically checking all possible keys until the correct one is found.
Avalanche Effect
Property where flipping a single input bit changes approximately 50% of output bits.
Key Derivation Function
Function deriving one or more secret keys from a master secret or password.
Post-Quantum Cryptography
Cryptographic algorithms resistant to cryptanalysis by quantum computers.
Message Authentication Code
Short piece of information used to authenticate a message and confirm its integrity.