Evolution of Cryptography

It is during and after the European Renaissance, various Italian and Papal states led the rapid proliferation of cryptographic techniques. Various analysis and attack techniques were researched in this era to break the secret codes.

• Improved coding techniques such as Vigenere Coding came into existence in the 15^th century, which offered moving letters in the message with a number of variable places instead of moving them the same number of places.
• Only after the 19^th century, cryptography evolved from the ad hoc approaches to encryption to the more sophisticated art and science of information security.
• In the early 20^th century, the invention of mechanical and electromechanical machines, such as the Enigma rotor machine, provided more advanced and efficient means of coding the information.
• During the period of World War II, both cryptography and cryptanalysis became excessively mathematical.

With the advances taking place in this field, government organizations, military units, and some corporate houses started adopting the applications of cryptography. They used cryptography to guard their secrets from others. Now, the arrival of computers and the Internet has brought effective cryptography within the reach of common people.