You use encryption every day while browsing online, even though you might not realize it. Right now, as you read this article, we are constantly encrypting and decrypting data between you and our server behind the scenes! We will consider the definition of encryption, its purpose, and its practical application in the cyber security field in this article.

What Is Encryption? 

Encryption protects data from unauthorized access by encoding or locking it. There is also gibberish in the plain text data, which is difficult for the reader to follow. Streams of random alphabets and numbers appear as encrypted data. Therefore, encrypting the word “Welcome” will transcribe to “n587ngwut8y7356nhgiej39!”. Encryption is achieved using digital keys and complex mathematical algorithms. Data can decrypt and read only by those with the proper authorization.

Examples include a password, private key, secret code, session key, etc. There are many major search engines (such as Google, Yahoo etc.) that encrypt your query data as well as the data they collect about you. Whether you use Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon AWS, you can ensure your data remains secure by encrypting it. It is possible to encrypt documents, photos, videos, contacts, wallet cards, notes, and audio recordings using encryption software applications available for free and for purchase.

 In order to enable the encryption of data flowing between a website’s server and a visitor’s browser, SSL/TLS certificates are used by website owners. Security is increased by encrypting the hash value of the download software, drivers, and scripts using code signing certificates. Email messages are signed and encrypted via email signing certificates (S/MIME) and personal authentication certificates by companies to improve security of email communication. 

The content of files and documents encrypted using a document signing certificate. A specific set of laws and regulations might apply to organizations that operate in a particular industry or handle particular data types.

What Does its Do?

Having learned that encryption hides and protects data from unintended users. Here’s a simple explanation for John, Alice, and Adam to help you understand encryption better. Alice gets a letter from John. A letter is intercepted by Adam (the villain). Her ability to read and interpret the plaintext letter allows her to modify it before it reaches Alice.  John and Alice come up with a trick to deal with this dilemma. Their existing alphabet will replace by the next alphabet. That means A is C, B is D, C is E …. X is Z, Y is A, Z is B.

Now, when John sends the message, “WELCOME,” he writes, “JGNNQ” Instead.  So if Adam (or anyone else) gets access to this letter, all she will see is an endless stream of nonsensical text! When Alice receives the message, she realizes the trick and puts each letter two steps back in the alphabet, enabling her to interpret the message.   

A brief overview of encryption! Now that we’ve gone over some of the terms from our example, let’s look at some further details.  

Is It Possible to Break?  

People frequently ask about encryption as well as whether it broken. Therefore, it is possible to break encryption. It is possible to break or crack modern encryption methods in two ways:

Encryption Key Stolen or Leaked

In order to successfully complete this encryption process, the keys must kept secret. Asymmetric encryption uses a private key for security, while symmetric encryption uses a master key.  

Keeping these keys secure can make sensitive data that is encrypted vulnerable. A person with access to these keys could decrypt encrypted data. Generally, you should immediately contact the certificate authority in such an event so they can remove your certificate and give you a new one.

Cyber criminals use blunt Force attacks  

Human brains are unable to guess the keys, as they are made by means of a robust algorithm. To decrypt a 256-bit RSA-encrypted text, for example, requires 2256 different combinations. To solve this problem on a computer, it would take about 3.31 billion years! Quantum computing, however, has the potential to break the algorithm.

Before a couple of years ago, the SHA-1 hashing algorithm was considered “impossible to break”. With the help of supercomputers, experts were able to break the code, so in 2017, all browsers stopped believing certificates with SHA-1. 

Different types of data encryption

Symmetrical or asymmetrical encryption is used to encrypt data. 

Both the encrypting and decrypting of data is accomplished with symmetric key encryption algorithms. 

The encryption and decryption processes of sensitive data are asymmetrical, using two different keys. Each key have generated concurrently, derived from the other. A public key is the first element of the key pair, while the private key is the second element. Encrypted data is only decrypted with its matching private key, as only a public key used for encryption.

The most popular encryption methods include:

AES – Advanced Encryption Standard

PGP – Pretty Good Privacy

DES – Data Encryption Standard

RSA – Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman

Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption

Simpler encryption methods include symmetric encryption. When symmetric encryption is used, data in transit or at rest is encrypted with the same key. Encryption of data-in-motion is achieved by creating a key and sharing it both with the provider and the recipient. This message has data that is encrypted using a symmetric key, which means that only someone who holds the encryption key able to read it. Data can decrypt by the recipient using the symmetric key once the message reaches them.

Utilizing symmetric encryption alone isn’t Asymmetric encryption is strongly prescribed because of its frailty. A symmetric encryption key must conveyed to the information beneficiary sooner or later when it is made. The key have captured during conveyance on the off chance that the exchange isn’t done safely, delivering any encryption finished with that key invalid. A symmetric key is utilized to scramble information on the way, as displayed underneath.

According to my previous comment, asymmetric encryption is the more secure of the two. With topsy-turvy encryption, a key pair is made which comprises a public and private key. The public key is kept accessible so that anybody could see, while the private key is known exclusively by the key pair maker. By unscrambling the message with the public key, the information beneficiary can perceive that the message is from who they think it is from and that the information in the message has not been changed. The underlying association will made with awry encryption, a symmetric meeting key will made, and the meeting key will then, at that point, utilized to encode messages in the meeting. The following is a graph of the deviated encryption process.

What is the cost of encryption? 

Encryption, in fact, protects both the data in transit as well as the data stored and used. However, does it come at a price? We have good news for you if you think a technology using such high-class algorithms would prohibitively expensive. Using such tools and certificates is not very expensive. Simple SSL/TLS certificates, for example, start at $8.78/year. A personal authentication certificate, comparable to S/MIME, costs only $12.95/year.

You can encrypt documents, files, images, and other media content for free or at a low cost if you’re an individual. Professional work securely transferred and stored using these tools by freelancers and remote workers.

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