Episode 57 — Cryptography I: Core Concepts and Threats

Encryption is the language of confidentiality, and this episode introduces the principles that make it work. You’ll learn the core goals of cryptography—confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and nonrepudiation—and how they appear in real-world controls. The discussion explains key terms like plaintext, ciphertext, keys, and algorithms, showing how math translates into trust. We also explore the history of encryption evolution, from substitution ciphers to modern block and stream algorithms, to give context for today’s standards. Listeners will then examine the threats that challenge encryption, including brute-force attacks, weak key management, and side-channel exploitation. We discuss why cryptography is only as strong as its implementation and how operational practices—patching libraries, rotating keys, and securing entropy—matter as much as the math itself. This episode equips you to recognize how exam questions on encryption fundamentals tie directly to everyday security architecture decisions. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.