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Cryptographic network security involves encrypting information on a network and securing cryptographic assets. Public key cryptography and hash functions are common encryption methods. Employee training is essential to keep keys safe.
Cryptographic network security covers two main areas: encrypting information as it passes over a network and securing cryptographic assets on a network. Encrypting information on the net is a broad field. There are various methods of encrypting information, but public key cryptography and hash functions are two of the most common. Securing cryptographic assets has been a concern since networked computers have become commonplace: the best security measures typically rely on secondary encryption methods and employee training.
When information is sent over a network, it should only be sent to the computer it is sent to. In most cases, this is the only place it ends up. In some cases, information is intercepted and scanned for content. This information is very lightly encrypted, but for anyone who knows how to intercept the information, encryption poses no problem.
This is where encryption network security comes into play. By using pre-encrypted messages, if the information is intercepted then it is much more difficult to decode. The most common true encryption method used in cryptographic network security is called public key cryptography. This encryption method is based on two separate keys. One key is public and available to anyone who wants it, while the other is private and secret.
A user who intends to send information to another user on the network uses the recipient’s public key to generate an encryption. This encryption is totally unique. The recipient receives the message and uses the private key. The keys verify each other and the message is decrypted.
The other common cryptographic network protection isn’t actually encryption at all, but is so similar that it’s lumped together with typical cryptographic methods. A hash function takes a large amount of data and compresses it into a series of numbers. This reduces the size of the information and makes it totally unreadable. Only a person who has access to the function that created the numeric hash can restore the message to its original form.
The other use of cryptographic network security is to keep cryptographic information secure. Keeping a computer encrypted or sending public key messages is only secure as long as the person intercepting the messages has access to the decryption keys. As a result, many businesses spend a lot of time and money keeping their keys safe.
The backbone of this type of cryptographic network security is employee training. The vast majority of compromised keys come from employees unnecessarily leaving behind important information. Generally, employees with network access are advised to learn the importance of keeping their keys on the company’s key server and never taking portable devices such as cell phones or laptops with encryption data out of the office. Employees without network access, such as support staff, may need to know what to look for to spot potential physical hazards such as open ports and portable devices.
