Loading CryptoViz...
Loading page content...Loading CryptoViz...
Loading page content...Correcting widespread crypto security myths with rigorous mathematical analysis, technical realities, and Kerckhoffs's principle benchmarks.
Test your understanding against real-world cryptographic misconceptions.
Explore debunked misconceptions and technical realities.
"Base64 encoding encrypts sensitive data and keeps it safe from unauthorized readers."
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding format with zero key secrecy. Anyone can decode it instantly without a key.
"Because 2048 is larger than 256, an RSA-2048 key provides 8 times more cryptographic security than AES-256."
Key size bits cannot be compared 1:1 across asymmetric and symmetric ciphers. AES-256 is exponentially stronger.
"Hashing a password encrypts it so it can be decrypted later when the user logs in."
Hashing is a one-way irreversible mathematical digest; encryption is a two-way reversible transformation with a key.
"Keeping our encryption algorithm secret makes our application harder to hack than using public standards like AES."
Kerckhoffs's Principle proves that security must depend on key secrecy, not algorithm secrecy. Custom ciphers fail.
"If an attacker discovers the salt value used to hash a password, the password hash is completely compromised."
Salts are non-secret inputs designed to prevent pre-computed rainbow table and multi-user bulk cracking attacks.
"Once quantum computers arrive, symmetric encryption like AES-256 will become completely useless."
Quantum computers (Grover's algorithm) halve symmetric key security, reducing AES-256 to 128 bits—which remains completely unbroken.
"Hiding a secret text file inside a PNG image is safer than encrypting the file."
Steganography hides message existence; cryptography protects message content. Once discovered, unencrypted hidden data is exposed.
"Re-using the same IV or Nonce across multiple AES-GCM encryptions only reduces randomness slightly."
Nonce reuse in AES-GCM completely destroys confidentiality and enables catastrophic authentication key recovery.