Polybius Square in Cryptography: A Brief Review of Literature
Jan Carlo T. Arroyo
Abstract
Cryptography is a method to secure sensitive data for storage and communication in the presence of third parties called adversaries. One of the first recorded incidents of cryptography occurred in Ancient Rome, where the Polybius cipher, also known as Polybius square, was developed. The Polybius cipher has been used as an advantage in winning wars over enemies according to history and is also utilized as a medium of communication. Today, as there is a need for more secure communication, the Polybius cipher, despite its early discovery and usage, is still at par when it comes to serving its purpose; to encrypt a secret message to provide secure information. There is a need for a secure cryptographic performance, and Polybius cipher is being improved and is hybridized along with other algorithms in the quest to achieve better system performance. This paper shows a brief literature review on the use of Polybius square in cryptography.