Cryptographic Techniques for Modern Cybersecurity: A Comparative Review of Algorithms, Key Management, Network Applications and Post-Quantum Readiness

There are many modern cryptography tools used today to protect digital information. These tools apply to networks and systems exposed to new kinds of threats. It seems that the major techniques used in the area are symmetric and asymmetric encryption, as well as hashing. Secure connections and database security, zero trust architectures and blockchains are mentioned among other approaches. Recently, there is a growing interest in post quantum approaches since quantum computers can break the previous cryptographic solutions. In practice, AES and RSA are widely used. The same is true about elliptic curve techniques and SHA. However, the problem with the key management appears. Moreover, there is a computational burden related to this issue. There are some limitations associated with the devices and scalability. Generally speaking, the approach that will allow comparing these options can be built on the basis of confidentiality and integrity, as well as authentication and overhead. Scalability and preparedness for post quantum changes should be considered in this framework. We believe that hybrid migration paths from old cryptography to new one can be useful. However, it is not clear how quickly such migration occurs in practice. Light weight key management and efficient processing of ciphertext appear to be beneficial in maintaining system strength. Periodic verification of trustworthiness is another dimension that needs to be considered here. Some issues with all these elements appear to be unresolved.