Computer Science

Tackling Insurgency Using Cryptography

Tackling Insurgency Using Cryptography

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Communication is an essential key during military conflict. Information concerning the status of their adversary is of great demand and is been passed across either by cell phone, e-mail, fax, etc. This information can be accessed by insurgents if not secured and the country’s information can be exposed. Therefore, information security is of great importance to prevent the loss of useful information.

The insurgency can be defined as a rebellious movement against an existing government to overthrow the government through the use of subversion and armed conflict. One major way insurgents penetrate a country is by gathering information therefore to tackle insurgency; information has to be secured through the use of cryptography. This method has been used to secure communications over the years.

Cryptography is the science of encrypting secret messages and transmitting the message from a sender to the receiver. The sent message can only be decoded by the receiver who has access to the software and must also know the password and encryption key to ensure a high rate of security.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The insurgency has caused destruction, poverty and many individuals have lost their lives during this period. The insurgency has become the order of the day; people no longer live peacefully in their homes as a result of fear. In recent times, technologies have grown wide, information can be accessed by different people anywhere and at any time.

One major challenge in our present world is that communications are not secured. If an attempt is made to transmit a message over a public or private channel and it gets to the wrong hand (an adversary: someone who sees all communications occurring on the channel.) the message would be exposed, tampered with, or lost.

Therefore the use of cryptography is a very important issue in this present time to avoid data loss and access by other people.

1.2 MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY

The insurgency has brought about destruction, poverty and has endangered so many people’s lives. One major way insurgents penetrate a country is by gathering essential information about the country before setting their operations. They gather information to know how and when to push through with their plans.

The insurgency has caused hazards and fear amongst every citizen in the country: which is the motivation behind this study.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

This work aims to develop a system that is responsible for encoding and decoding secret messages against insurgents. The system will be developed in such a way that only the user can have access to it and this will be done by the use of a password to ensure a high rate of security.

Its objectives include;

i. To Prevent insurgents from monitoring secret messages in a country.

ii. To secure information from access.

iii. To prevent insurgents from having access to essential information about a country.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The primary goal of this work is to encrypt users’ data and provide a security mechanism. Therefore the significance of this study include:

1. To develop a system that will serve as a means of sending information and secure.

2. The developed system will help the armed-force send secret messages.

3. The system will also be used to hide useful data.

4. This method of sending secret messages will help tackle the fear of insurgents.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This work is concerned with tackling insurgency by securing information through the use of cryptography. It focuses on data secrecy and integrity, which is to ensure that only those authorized will have access to it.

This work does not go deeply into discussing how insurgents operate in a country. The system will be designed using the hash function SHA 256.

1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS

· Adversary: An opponent.

· Conflict: A violent situation between different people.

· Decryption: To change information that is in code into ordinary language so that it can be understood by anyone.

· Encryption: To put information into a special code, especially to prevent people from looking at it without authority.

· Information: A comprehensive detail about something.

· Insurgents: A group of people rising against an authority.

· Integrity: Maintaining and assuring that data can only be modified by those authorized to do that.

· Password: A confidential word or phrase.

· Rebellious: To oppose the government of a country.

· Secrecy: Making sure that nothing is known about something that is being secret.

· Security: The act of protecting a country or something from people.

· Subversion: An act of attacking the authority of a system secretly or indirectly.

· Tackling: A process of dealing with a difficult problem or situation.



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