The gap between cryptography and information security

Few controls available to information security professionals today are more potentially powerful than is encryption. Among the many important benefits of encryption are data confidentiality, integrity of data and system files, protection against repudiation in business and other transactions, assurance of individuals' identity, protection against cheating in voting and contract signing, and others. Security professionals are required to know at least the basics of cryptography to pass professional certification tests such as the CISSP exam; they must often know much more to be able to be proficient on the job. A number of vendors have produced impressive encryption products for desktop encryption, authentication methods, virtual private networks (VPNs), and digital signatures. Significant advances in cryptography and cryptanalysis research have also occurred over the years.