Glossary of Technical Terms

Glossary

This glossary defines key terms used throughout the Cipher documentation.

• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): A widely used symmetric encryption algorithm. In Cipher, it is applied as a final encryption layer after polymorphic substitutions.

• Asymmetric Encryption: A cryptographic method using a key pair—private and public—for encryption and decryption. Cipher uses elliptic curve cryptography to manage identities and derive shared secrets.

• Cascade Substitution Logic: A process in Cipher where up to 20 layers of polymorphic substitutions are applied sequentially, each determined by the structured channel.

• Channel (Structured): A unique string used in Cipher to define encryption rules. It is divided into a numeric left part (defining the substitution layers) and a character-based right part (used as entropy for substitutions).

• Ciphertext: The output of the encryption process—unreadable data until decrypted with the correct keys and channel.

• ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman): A key exchange protocol that enables the derivation of a shared secret without transmitting the secret itself.

• Key Pair: Composed of a private key (kept secret) and a public key (shared openly), used to establish secure communication.

• Metadata-Free: A property of Cipher indicating no user data, usage logs, or session identifiers are stored or processed.

• Polymorphic Substitution: A dynamic encryption transformation that changes with every input, channel, and key combination.

• Private Key: The secret component of a key pair, used in Cipher as a personal identifier and as input for secure derivation of secrets.

• Public Key: The openly shared component of a key pair, used to identify recipients and generate shared secrets.

• Shared Secret: A hash derived from combining the sender’s private key and recipient’s public key (or vice versa), used to produce the AES key in a zero-knowledge fashion.

• Stateless: Describes Cipher’s design—no sessions, no cookies, no retained history. Every action is performed in-memory only.

• ZKP (Zero-Knowledge Proof): A method allowing one party to prove knowledge of a secret without revealing it. Cipher uses ZKP principles to securely derive AES keys.

• .0fx File: Cipher’s encrypted file format used to export encrypted data, which can be reimported for decryption within the same environment.