These days the safety and security of our data is becoming increasingly important.
Identity theft is a very real problem.
Safeguarding our personal information is an important step to protect our privacy and ensure that our sensitive data can only by accessed by authorized individuals.
One of the ways we can protect our stored data is to use encryption.
Data encryption involves converting information into ciphertext which can't be read without access to the encryption code.
Encryption is a process that is used with increasing frequency these days and it's likely that you send or receive encrypted files frequently, even if you're not aware of it.
Many email messages are sent in encrypted form as are financial transactions and some file sharing programs.
How Data Encryption Works: Data encryption is achieved by a process that replaces your information with a code that can only be deciphered if you have the encryption key.
The use of codes to hide the meaning of messages has been around since the times of Julius Caesar.
Back in those days an alphabetic key was used, for example one letter would be replaced with another.
We've all seen these types of puzzles in the newspaper or magazines.
Alphabetic codes are relatively easy to crack.
Encryption of today's data works in a similar basis but with much more sophisticated keys called algorithms.
As in Caesar's day, the primary use of encryption was for military purposes, but with the advent of computer technology and particularly e-commerce, encryption is now used by businesses and private computer users.
If you're sending an email using an encryption process, the encryption key may be included in your email client or as a stand-alone program.
Encryption keys vary in length and the strength or the ease of which it can be broken.
The number combination possibilities in the key are virtually infinite, which makes it almost impossible for hackers to guess the key combinations.
The Three Types of Data Encryption 1.
Symmetrical Data Encryption Symmetrical data encryption uses the transmission of a file through the program you're using.
You must send the decoding key to the receiver separately from your message.
For the recipient to be able to read the file you're sending, they must receive the key and unscramble the file.
The biggest problem with symmetrical encryption is that it's possible for a hacker to intercept the decoding key as well as the file during transmission, and thus be able to read the message.
2.
Asymmetrical Data Encryption Asymmetrical data encryption involves two separate decoding keys, a public key and a private key.
This type of data encryption takes longer to transmit, but is much more secure.
When you send a file, you encrypt the file using your receiver's public key.
When the recipient receives the file, they decode it using their private key.
Varied algorithms are used to encrypt the data depending on the type of encryption and the receiver must use the same process (symmetrical or asymmetrical) to access the data as the sender.
3.
Data Encryption Software Data encryption software is a computer program that encrypts data files or packets of information sent via computer networks.
The software uses encryption keys to prevent others from viewing sensitive data.
There are a number of companies who offer data encryption software for private users.
They use one or more of a number of different encryption algorithms to make your data virtually impossible to access without the encryption key.
Data encryption software may be a consideration for you if you run a small business or transfer sensitive information among a group of individuals.
There are free encryption software programs available online as well as more sophisticated programs that can be purchased for a reasonable cost.
E-Commerce: A Key User E-commerce sites are one of the main users of software to encrypt data.
Encryption not only safeguards personal financial information, it ensures that both merchants and customers are dealing with the same person they expect to be dealing with and not a third party such as hackers or cyber criminals.
Encryption ensures that the messages sent back and forth are genuine and have not been altered in any way during transit.
It also prevents repudiation, which means that it keeps a record of where the message was sent and received so that no one can claim that they didn't receive or act on a particular message.
Data encryption protects the integrity of online transactions and makes purchasing items or services online viable and safe and plays a central role in maintaining the security of the multi-billion dollar e-commerce industry.