IT THEORY FUNDAMENTAL

Encryption is present in all aspects of information technology. Any information that you want to keep secret should be encrypted, and only the intended recipient should have the key to decrypt.

For as long as ciphers have existed to encrypt information, hackers have existed who attempt to crack the key and illicitly decipher the message.

In this discussion, you will first encrypt information using a linear cipher. Then, you will become the hacker and discuss ways to crack one another’s messages.

For this Discussion:

Write a short message of between 15 and 40 characters to your classmates. Encode it using a linear affine cipher with n=26. Post the message to the “Encrypted Messages” thread but do not give the “a” and “b” that you utilized.

Also post your own initial response thread in which you propose at least one way that you might try to decipher messages without the key.