Ask cipher for small amount of data

Since the earlier days of human civilization, the need to keep data safe and secret is around. Several methodologies and later technologies have been devised and used for the same purpose. But the whole concept of securing data from unwanted attacks took a big turn with the widespread of Internet. Although internet provides uncountable benefits like emails, world-wide availability of information, video conferencing, e-commerce, etc; but it is also the biggest tool for hackers and crackers who may use sensitive data and information for their selfish purposes. A major methodology for protection of data is cryptography, which is described as the art of secret writing. There are two basic types of cryptography: Symmetric Key and Asymmetric Key. Symmetric key algorithms are the quickest and most commonly used type of encryption. Here, a single key is used for both encryption and decryption. This paper throws some light on the history of cryptography and discusses an innovative approach for encrypting small amount of data, which will be practically useful for the small scale organizations.