Enhancing the Vigenère Cipher for Unicode Compatibility: A Modern Approach to Polyalphabetic Encryption

Abstract

In today's digital age, the significance of strong encryption in communication has significantly increased. The Vigenère cipher, a classic polyalphabetic encryption substitution method, offers both effectiveness and simplicity; however, traditional methods only accommodate the uppercase alphabet of mode 26, which is insufficient for contemporary text encryption and security. This work advances the field of cryptography by introducing a robust and adaptable encryption technique suitable for modern computing environments. It suggests an updated version of the Vigenère cipher that supports Unicode, enabling a modern approach to polyalphabetic encryption through a system that can encrypt a wider range of characters beyond the ASCII (256) limit, including those from non-Latin scripts. This study also includes a flexible key generation system capable of dynamically managing different character sets while preserving the core principles of the cipher. Not only does the method reveal the enhanced Vigenère cipher, but it also considers capability and security implications. Finally, by integrating the modernize Vigenère cipher for Unicode compatibility, it creates a robust and versatile polyalphabetic encryption solution equipped to tackle the complexities of contemporary computing environments, securing text data across various applications such as messaging platforms, online storage services, and confidential document exchange.