What term describes the process of locking transmitted information with a secret key so that only someone with the same key can unlock it?

What term describes the process of locking transmitted information with a secret key so that only someone with the same key can unlock it?

• A. Decryption
• B. Encryption
• C. Encoding
• D. Cryptography

Answer: (B)

Encryption is the process of locking transmitted information with a secret key so that only someone with the same key can unlock it. It turns readable data into ciphertext, preserving confidentiality during transmission, and the intended recipient uses the same key to decrypt it back to readable form. Decryption is simply the reverse operation that restores the original message. Encoding, by contrast, changes data into a different format for transmission or storage without providing secrecy. Cryptography is the broad field that covers these techniques and the mathematics behind them, including both encryption and decryption. Since the scenario specifies using a secret key that the recipient also has, encryption is the correct term.

Encryption is the process of locking transmitted information with a secret key so that only someone with the same key can unlock it. It turns readable data into ciphertext, preserving confidentiality during transmission, and the intended recipient uses the same key to decrypt it back to readable form. Decryption is simply the reverse operation that restores the original message. Encoding, by contrast, changes data into a different format for transmission or storage without providing secrecy. Cryptography is the broad field that covers these techniques and the mathematics behind them, including both encryption and decryption. Since the scenario specifies using a secret key that the recipient also has, encryption is the correct term.