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What is Encryption?

There are a variety of methods for securing your computer and internet transactions. Encryption is by far the most popular.

Encryption refers to the encoding of information so that it can be read only by the sender and the recipient. Encryption systems will typically use only two keys. The first is a public key that is available to anyone. The second is a private key that will only allow the information to be readable by the intended recipient.

Encrypting your email and your files will never make it impossible for your electronic data to be cracked, but it will make the process much more difficult, therefore increasing your security. How does encryption work?

Simply put, the process of encryption involves passing the electronic data through a series of mathematical processes in which the data is changed and becomes unreadable. The data starts as plaintext (unencrypted) and passes through the sequence of mathematical instructions known as an algorithm (also called cipher). Once the plaintext is transformed the encrypted text is known as ciphertext.

A popular and simple example of how this method works is based on what is known in cryptography as the Caesar cipher. Julius Caesar used this method of encryption to communicate sensitive information among his generals.

Example of Caesar Cipher

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V

In this example the alphabet is rotated to the left by 4 characters. The encrypted message would be sent using the cipher alphabet, and then decrypted using a shift parameter of 4 which is also known as the “key” in cryptography.

The key in cryptography is just that, the key or secret to decrypting the data.

There are two types of encryption algorithms. Symmetric key algorithms use the same key for both encrypting and decrypting. Asymmetric key algorithms require the use of two keys, one key for encrypting and another key for decrypting.

Now the key size or key length becomes important, since the key is the control panel for changing the ciphertext into plaintext. The key is a long sequence of bits (40-bit, 64-bit, 128 bit) that alters the data based on the mathematical algorithm. 128-bit encryption has proved to be much more difficult to crack than the earlier versions, and is more widely recognized as the new standard in encryption.

Fortunately, the amount of security software available to you has increased rapidly over the years. In this age of computing, encryption software has become an important necessity for businesses and individuals in need of safeguarding their most sensitive information. This software is readily available on the web.