What Is Cryptographic Service?

Cryptographic services are computer programs that protect data. Companies like IBM and Microsoft include proprietary cryptographic applications in their operating systems. They all protect information security by ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, nonrepudiation and authentication, according to IBM.

Confidentiality and Integrity

According to TechTarget.com, a cryptographic service ensures confidentiality, meaning that only intended recipients can understand the data. Also, the integrity of the data is protected from anyone successfully altering the information before it arrives at its intended destination, as well as after it is stored.

Nonrepudiation and Authentication

According to TechTarget.com, cryptographic services also ensure nonrepudiation, which means that senders cannot later deny sending a message or repudiate a verified digital signature. Authentication means the sender and the receiver can each confirm the identity of the other, as well as the origin and the destination of a message.

Significance

According to Serdar Yegulalp at TechTarget.com, cryptographic services represent a vital application which work without the deliberate activation or intervention of users. Functions like the encoding and decoding of files, their storage in encrypted folders and the verification of digital signatures occur automatically, although users can choose to disable some functions.

References

• Serdar Yegulalp: Checking and fixing Cryptographic Services
• TechTarget: Cryptography
• IBM.com: Cryptographic Services APIs