Encryption – What It Is, Types, Algorithms, & More …

Definition

In cryptography, encryptionis the process of encoding a message or information in a way that only authorized parties can access it and those who are not authorized cannot.

Asymmetric Encryption

In public-key encryption schemes, the encryption key is published for anyone to use and for encrypting messages. Only the receiving party has access to the decryption key that enables messages to be read. Public-key encryption was first described in a secret document in 1973. Before that, all encryption schemes were symmetric-key (also called private-key).

Symmetric Encryption

In symmetric-key schemes, the encryption and decryption keys are the same. Communicating parties must have the same key in order to achieve secure communication.

Triple DESwas designed to replace the original Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm, which hackers learned to defeat with ease. At one time, Triple DES was the recommended standard and the most widely used symmetric algorithm in the industry.

Triple DES uses three individual keys with 56 bits each. The total key length adds up to 168 bits, but experts say that 112-bits in key strength is more like it.

Though it is slowly being phased out, Triple DES is still a dependable hardware encryption solution for financial services and other industries.

RSA is a public-key encryption algorithm and the standard for encrypting data sent over the internet. It also happens to be one of the methods used in PGP and GPG programs.

Unlike Triple DES, RSA is considered an asymmetric encryption algorithm because it uses a pair of keys. The public key is used to encrypt a message and a private key to decrypt it. It takes attackers quite a bit of time and processing power to break this encryption code.

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)is the algorithm trusted as the standard by the U.S. government and many other organizations.

Although it is extremely efficient in 128-bit form, AES also uses keys of 192 and 256 bits for heavy-duty encryption.

AES is considered resistant to all attacks, with the exception of brute-force attacks, which attempt to decipher messages using all possible combinations in the 128-, 192- or 256-bit cipher. Still, security experts believe that AES will eventually become the standard for encrypting data in the private sector.

There are a number of standards related to cryptography.Here are the following standards for encryption:

File system-level encryption, often called file and folder encryption, is a form of disk encryption where individual files or directories are encrypted by the file system itself.

Disk encryption is a technology that protects information by converting it into unreadable code that cannot be deciphered easily by authorized users. Disk encryption uses disk encryption software or hardware to encrypt every bit of data that goes on a disk or disk volume.

Email encryptionis encryption of email messages designed to protect the content from being read by entities other than the intended recipients. Email encryption may also include authentication.Email is not secure and may disclose sensitive information. Most emails are currently transmitted in the clear (not encrypted) form. By means of some available tools, people other than designated recipients can read the email content. Email encryption traditionally uses one of two protocols, either TLS or end-to-end encryption. Within end-to-end encryption, there are several options, including PGP and S/MIME protocols.

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Encryption - What It Is, Types, Algorithms, & More ...