clear text
Data in which the semantic information content (i.e., the meaning) is intelligible or is directly available, i.e., not encrypted. (See: cleartext, in the clear. Compare: cipher text, plain text.)
Senses
1 (I) /noun/
Data in which the semantic information content (i.e., the meaning) is intelligible or is directly available, i.e., not encrypted. (See: cleartext, in the clear. Compare: cipher text, plain text.)
References
- IETF RFC 4949 (Internet Security Glossary)Jan 06, 2026RFC 4949 — Internet Security Glossary (Version 2)https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4949.txtRFC 4949 is published by the IETF Trust and marked as "Distribution of this memo is unlimited". Verify IETF Trust copyright/licensing terms for reuse.Source: IETF RFC 4949 (rfc-editor.org).
2 (O) /noun/
"Intelligible data, the semantic content of which is available." [I7498-2]
References
- IETF RFC 4949 (Internet Security Glossary)Jan 06, 2026RFC 4949 — Internet Security Glossary (Version 2)https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4949.txtRFC 4949 is published by the IETF Trust and marked as "Distribution of this memo is unlimited". Verify IETF Trust copyright/licensing terms for reuse.Source: IETF RFC 4949 (rfc-editor.org).
3 (D) /noun/
Synonym for "plain text".
Deprecated Definition: IDOCs SHOULD NOT use this term as a synonym for "plain text", because the plain text that is input to an encryption operation may itself be cipher text that was output from a previous encryption operation. (See: superencryption.)
References
- IETF RFC 4949 (Internet Security Glossary)Jan 06, 2026RFC 4949 — Internet Security Glossary (Version 2)https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4949.txtRFC 4949 is published by the IETF Trust and marked as "Distribution of this memo is unlimited". Verify IETF Trust copyright/licensing terms for reuse.Source: IETF RFC 4949 (rfc-editor.org).