Security today relies on cryptography, an information-protection technology that uses algorithms to transform messages into a form that is difficult for a third party to decipher. For decades, computers and networks have relied on cryptography to provide confidentiality and integrity, and for common tasks like authentication. Arguably, it has become the backbone of modern cybersecurity as we put more of our lives online.

Cryptography depends on the fact that today’s computers don’t have the power to decode encrypted data in a realistic time frame (such as in our lifetimes).