Original, unencrypted information is referred to as what?

The term that describes the original, unencrypted information is "plaintext." Plaintext refers to data that is in its readable format before any encryption processes have been applied. This is the format of the data as it exists without any transformation or protection, making it comprehensible to users and systems.

On the other hand, ciphertext refers to the scrambled and unreadable version of the data created through encryption, making it secure against unauthorized access. A digest typically refers to a fixed-size output generated from an input of any size, often used in hashing processes, while a token is a security method that replaces sensitive data elements with non-sensitive equivalents, used primarily in data protection. Thus, the concept of plaintext is foundational in understanding data security, as it serves as the starting point for encryption methodologies and practices.