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Encryption encodes plain text into unreadable form, ensuring privacy. The recipient uses a “key” to decrypt the message. Encryption was once a military tool, but is now used for online services. Web browsers automatically encrypt text when connected to a secure server. There are many types of encryption, and not all are reliable. Encryption can be applied to email correspondence, personal files, and entire drives. Encryption schemes are classified as symmetric or asymmetric. Asymmetric encryption is considered more secure. To be secure, the recipient must be positively identified using digital signatures or certificates. Encryption will become more popular as people realize the open nature of the internet.
Encryption refers to algorithmic schemes that encode plain text into unreadable form or ciphertext, ensuring privacy. The recipient of the encrypted text uses a “key” to decrypt the message, returning it to its original plain text form. The key is the algorithm’s trigger mechanism.
Until the advent of the Internet, encryption was rarely used by the public but was largely a military tool. Today, with online marketing, banking, healthcare and other services, even the average breadwinner is much more aware of this.
Web browsers automatically encrypt text when connected to a secure server, evidenced by an address starting with https. The server decrypts the text as it arrives, but since the information travels between computers, intercepting the transmission won’t be fruitful for anyone ‘listening’. They would only see unreadable gibberish.
There are many types of encryption and not all of them are reliable. The same computer power that produces strong encryption can be used to break weak schemes. Initially, 64-bit encryption was thought to be strong enough, but today 128-bit is the standard and this will no doubt change again in the future.
Although browsers automatically encrypt information when connected to a secure website, many people choose to use encryption in their email correspondence as well. This can be easily accomplished with programs that have plug-ins or interfaces for popular email clients. The oldest of these is called PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), a humble name for a very powerful military-grade encryption program. PGP encrypts not only e-mail messages, but also personal files and folders.
Encryption can also be applied to an entire volume or drive. To use the drive, it is “mounted” using a special decryption key. In this state, the unit can be used and read normally. When complete, the drive is dismounted and reverts to an encrypted state, unreadable by intruders, Trojan horses, spyware, or snoopers. Some people choose to keep financial programs or other sensitive data on encrypted drives.
Encryption schemes are classified as symmetric or asymmetric. Symmetric key algorithms such as Blowfish, AES, and DES work with a single pre-established key shared between the sender and recipient. This key encrypts and decrypts text. In asymmetric encryption schemes, such as RSA and Diffie-Hellman, the scheme creates a “key pair” for the user: a public key and a private key. The public key can be posted online for senders to use to encrypt text that will be sent to the owner of the public key. Once encrypted, the ciphertext cannot be decrypted except by the one who holds the private key to that key pair. This algorithm is based on the two keys working together. Asymmetric encryption is considered a more secure step than symmetric encryption, since the decryption key can be kept private.
Strong encryption makes data private, but not necessarily secure. To be secure, the recipient of the data, often a server, must be positively identified as the approved party. This is usually accomplished online using digital signatures or certificates.
As more people realize the open nature of the Internet, email, and instant messaging, encryption will undoubtedly become more popular. Without it, information transmitted over the Internet is not only available for virtually anyone to capture and read, but is often stored for years on servers that can change hands or be compromised in any number of ways. For all these reasons, it is a goal worth pursuing.
