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The debate over the term “cryptage” (a French colloquialism for encryption) versus proper cryptographic terminology has been ongoing in the tech community. Interestingly, a 2000 issue of Linux Magazine shows that this linguistic disagreement dates back further than many realize.
You Should Know:
Key Cryptographic Commands in Linux
Understanding encryption starts with practical implementation. Below are essential Linux commands for encryption and decryption:
1. GPG (GNU Privacy Guard)
Encrypt and decrypt files using GPG:
Encrypt a file gpg -c secretfile.txt Decrypt the file gpg -d secretfile.txt.gpg > decrypted_secretfile.txt
2. OpenSSL for Symmetric Encryption
Encrypt with AES-256 openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -salt -in plaintext.txt -out encrypted.bin Decrypt openssl enc -d -aes-256-cbc -in encrypted.bin -out decrypted.txt
3. Hashing with SHA-256
echo "LinuxSecurity" | sha256sum
4. SSH Key Generation
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"
5. Disk Encryption with LUKS
Encrypt a partition cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdX Open encrypted partition cryptsetup open /dev/sdX secure_drive Format and mount mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/secure_drive mount /dev/mapper/secure_drive /mnt/secure
Windows Equivalent Commands
For Windows users, here are some PowerShell encryption commands:
Encrypt a file Protect-File -Path "C:\secret.txt" -Algorithm AES -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString "YourPass" -AsPlainText -Force) Decrypt Unprotect-File -Path "C:\secret.txt.aes" -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString "YourPass" -AsPlainText -Force)
What Undercode Say
The debate over “cryptage” vs. encryption highlights the importance of precise terminology in cybersecurity. Misusing terms can lead to misunderstandings in security implementations. Whether you’re using GPG, OpenSSL, or LUKS, always ensure you follow best practices:
- Use strong passphrases (
openssl rand -hex 32). - Verify checksums (
sha256sum file.iso). - Never store keys in plaintext.
For further reading on cryptographic standards, refer to:
Expected Output:
A detailed guide on Linux and Windows encryption commands, emphasizing correct cryptographic terminology and best practices.
References:
Reported By: Florian Duchemin – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
