What is cleartext?
Q: What is cleartext?
A: Cleartext is a message or data that is immediately understandable to a human being without additional processing and is sent or stored without cryptographic protection.
Q: What does the term "in clear" mean?
A: "In clear" is another term for cleartext or a message that is sent or stored without cryptographic protection.
Q: How is plaintext different from cleartext?
A: Plaintext is information that is fed as an input to a coding process, while cleartext is a message or data that is immediately understandable to a human being without additional processing and is sent or stored without cryptographic protection.
Q: Can plaintext be different from cleartext?
A: Yes, plaintext can be different from cleartext because plaintext might be compressed, coded, or otherwise changed before it is converted to ciphertext.
Q: What type of communication mode sends data in cleartext?
A: Websites that use insecure HTTP send data in cleartext.
Q: What type of data is vulnerable when transmitted using cleartext?
A: All data, including usernames and passwords, transmitted using cleartext is vulnerable to being read by anyone with access to the medium used to carry the data (the routers, computers, telecommunications equipment, wireless transmissions, etc.).
Q: What is the risk of using cleartext to transmit sensitive information?
A: The risk of using cleartext to transmit sensitive information is that it is vulnerable to interception and can be read by anyone with access to the network. This puts the sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords, at risk of being stolen or used maliciously.
