This document provides an overview of cryptography. It begins with defining cryptography as the practice of hiding information and discusses its purposes, which include authentication, privacy, integrity, and non-repudiation. The document then covers the basic architecture of cryptography systems and the main types, including secret key cryptography and public key cryptography. It also outlines some common cryptographic algorithms like hashing and public/private key cryptography. Finally, it briefly discusses different types of attacks on cryptography and concludes with references.