Cryptography

Cryptography is the study of techniques used to communicate and store information securely without being intercepted or accessible by third parties. Cryptography is the science of keeping text secret. Cryptanalysis, on the other hand, is the process of trying to break secure cryptosystems (Alan Turing is a famous cryptanalysis because of his research during World War 2). Let’s start with first going over some definitions that are commonly used.

Symmetric Algorithms:

In symmetric algorithms, two people have an encryption and decryption method, and share a secret key. To give a better understanding, let’s take a look at Alice and Bob. Alice and Bob want to communicate over an insecure channel. Now let’s look at Oscar, who wants to eavesdrop on this channel. Symmetric algorithms offer a solution to this problem; a key has to only be generated once between Alice and Bob, and then can be used for more communications. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), for example, uses a hybrid encryption scheme that first generates a symmetric key and then uses an asymmetric key to protect that information.

Asymmetric (aka Public-Key) Algorithms:

Asymmetric algorithms work a lot like symmetric key algorithms. As with symmetric cryptography, a user has a public key and secret key. Unlike asymmetric keys, symmetric keys use different keys for encryption and decryption. Asymmetric algorithms are used in digital signatures, key establishment, and classical data encryption. Also, note that the asymmetric / symmetric algorithms in the two approaches have different characteristics and are not directly comparable with each other.

Key distribution:

Sometimes called a key distribution center (KDC), it is how we convey keys to those who need to establish a secure communication.

Key management:

Like the term implies, key management answers the question on given a large amount of keys, how we store them etc.

How Encryption Works

Encryption is an interesting piece of technology that works by scrambling data so it is unreadable by unintended parties. Let’s take a look at how it works with the email-friendly software PGP (or GPG for the open source people).

Say I want to send you a private message, so I encrypt it using either one of these programs. Here’s the message:

wUwDPglyJu9LOnkBAf4vxSpQgQZltcz7LWwEquhdm5kSQIkQlZtfxtSTsmaw
 q6gVH8SimlC3W6TDOhhL2FdgvdIC7sDv7G1Z7pCNzFLp0lgB9ACm8r5RZOBi
 N5ske9cBVjlVfgmQ9VpFzSwzLLODhCU7/2THg2iDrW3NGQZfz3SSWviwCe7G
 mNIvp5jEkGPCGcla4Fgdp/xuyewPk6NDlBewftLtHJVf
 =PAb3

Once encrypted, the message literally becomes a jumbled mess of random characters. But, equipped with the secret passcode I text you, you can decrypt it and find the original message.

Let’s go and eat chips and coke!

Whether it’s in transit like our coke party email or resting on your hard drive, encryption works to keep prying eyes out of your business — even if they happen to somehow gain access to your network or system. If you want to learn more about how encryption helps protect business data, you can read our article on how encryption aids cloud security.

The technology comes in many forms, with key size and strength generally being the biggest differences in one variety from the next.

The Future of Encryption

Cyber attacks are constantly evolving, so security specialists must stay busy in the lab concocting new schemes to keep them at bay. Expert observers are hopeful that a new method called Honey Encryption will deter hackers by serving up fake data for every incorrect guess of the key code. This unique approach not only slows attackers down, but potentially buries the correct key in a haystack of false hopes. Then there are emerging methods like quantum key distribution, which shares keys embedded in photons over fiber optic, that might have viability now and many years into the future as well.

Whether it’s protecting your email communications or stored data, some type of encryption should be included in your lineup of security tools. Successful attacks on victims like Target show that it’s not 100 percent bulletproof, but without it, you’re offering up convenient access to your data. Find some tools that give you a piece of mind and stick with them!

Cryptography

Cryptography is the study of and store information securely without being intercepted or accessible by third parties. Cryptography is the science of keeping text secret. Cryptanalysis, on the other hand, is the process of trying to break secure cryptosystems (Alan Turing is a famous cryptanalysis because of his research during World War 2). Let’s start with first going over some definitions that are commonly used.

Symmetric Algorithms:

In symmetric algorithms, two people have an encryption and decryption method, and share a secret key. To give a better understanding, let’s take a look at Alice and Bob. Alice and Bob want to communicate over an insecure channel. Now let’s look at Oscar, who wants to eavesdrop on this channel. Symmetric algorithms offer a solution to this problem; a key has to only be generated once between Alice and Bob, and then can be used for more communications. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), for example, uses a hybrid encryption scheme that first generates a symmetric key and then uses an asymmetric key to protect that information.

Asymmetric (aka Public-Key) Algorithms:

Asymmetric algorithms work a lot like symmetric key algorithms. As with symmetric cryptography, a user has a public key and secret key. Unlike asymmetric keys, symmetric keys use different keys for encryption and decryption. Asymmetric algorithms are used in digital signatures, key establishment, and classical data encryption. Also, note that the asymmetric / symmetric algorithms in the two approaches have different characteristics and are not directly comparable with each other.

Key distribution:

Sometimes called a key distribution center (KDC), it is how we convey keys to those who need to establish a secure communication.

Key management:

Like the term implies, key management answers the question on given a large amount of keys, how we store them etc.

How Encryption Works

Encryption is an interesting piece of technology that works by scrambling data so it is unreadable by unintended parties. Let’s take a look at how it works with the email-friendly software PGP (or GPG for the open source people).

Say I want to send you a private message, so I encrypt it using either one of these programs. Here’s the message:

wUwDPglyJu9LOnkBAf4vxSpQgQZltcz7LWwEquhdm5kSQIkQlZtfxtSTsmaw
 q6gVH8SimlC3W6TDOhhL2FdgvdIC7sDv7G1Z7pCNzFLp0lgB9ACm8r5RZOBi
 N5ske9cBVjlVfgmQ9VpFzSwzLLODhCU7/2THg2iDrW3NGQZfz3SSWviwCe7G
 mNIvp5jEkGPCGcla4Fgdp/xuyewPk6NDlBewftLtHJVf
 =PAb3

Once encrypted, the message literally becomes a jumbled mess of random characters. But, equipped with the secret passcode I text you, you can decrypt it and find the original message.

Let’s go and eat chips and coke!

Whether it’s in transit like our coke party email or resting on your hard drive, encryption works to keep prying eyes out of your business — even if they happen to somehow gain access to your network or system. If you want to learn more about how encryption helps protect business data, you can read our article on how encryption aids cloud security.

The technology comes in many forms, with key size and strength generally being the biggest differences in one variety from the next.

The Future of Encryption

Cyber attacks are constantly evolving, so security specialists must stay busy in the lab concocting new schemes to keep them at bay. Expert observers are hopeful that a new method called Honey Encryption will deter hackers by serving up fake data for every incorrect guess of the key code. This unique approach not only slows attackers down, but potentially buries the correct key in a haystack of false hopes. Then there are emerging methods like quantum key distribution, which shares keys embedded in photons over fiber optic, that might have viability now and many years into the future as well.

Whether it’s protecting your email communications or stored data, some type of encryption should be included in your lineup of security tools. Successful attacks on victims like Target show that it’s not 100 percent bulletproof, but without it, you’re offering up convenient access to your data. Find some tools that give you a piece of mind and stick with them!

Cryptography

Cryptography is the study of techniques used to communicate and store information securely without being intercepted or accessible by third parties. Cryptography is the science of keeping text secret. Cryptanalysis, on the other hand, is the process of trying to break secure cryptosystems (Alan Turing is famous cryptanalysis because of his research during World War 2). Let’s start with first going over some definitions that are commonly used.

Symmetric Algorithms:

In symmetric algorithms, two people have an encryption and decryption method, and share a secret key. To give a better understanding, let’s take a look at Alice and Bob. Alice and Bob want to communicate over an insecure channel. Now let’s look at Oscar, who wants to eavesdrop on this channel. Symmetric algorithms offer a solution to this problem; a key has to only be generated once between Alice and Bob, and then can be used for more communications. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), for example, uses a hybrid encryption scheme that first generates a symmetric key and then uses an asymmetric key to protect that information.

Asymmetric (aka Public-Key) Algorithms:

Asymmetric algorithms work a lot like symmetric key algorithms. As with symmetric cryptography, a user has a public key and secret key. Unlike asymmetric keys, symmetric keys use different keys for encryption and decryption. Asymmetric algorithms are used in digital signatures, key establishment, and classical data encryption. Also, note that the asymmetric / symmetric algorithms in the two approaches have different characteristics and are not directly comparable with each other.

Key distribution:

Sometimes called a key distribution center (KDC), it is how we convey keys to those who need to establish a secure communication.

Key management:

Like the term implies, key management answers the question on given a large amount of keys, how we store them etc.

How Encryption Works

Encryption is an interesting piece of technology that works by scrambling data so it is unreadable by unintended parties. Let’s take a look at how it works with the email-friendly software PGP (or GPG for the open source people).

Say I want to send you a private message, so I encrypt it using either one of these programs. Here’s the message:

wUwDPglyJu9LOnkBAf4vxSpQgQZltcz7LWwEquhdm5kSQIkQlZtfxtSTsmaw
 q6gVH8SimlC3W6TDOhhL2FdgvdIC7sDv7G1Z7pCNzFLp0lgB9ACm8r5RZOBi
 N5ske9cBVjlVfgmQ9VpFzSwzLLODhCU7/2THg2iDrW3NGQZfz3SSWviwCe7G
 mNIvp5jEkGPCGcla4Fgdp/xuyewPk6NDlBewftLtHJVf
 =PAb3

Once encrypted, the message literally becomes a jumbled mess of random characters. But, equipped with the secret passcode I text you, you can decrypt it and find the original message.

Let’s go and eat chips and coke!

Whether it’s in transit like our coke party email or resting on your hard drive, encryption works to keep prying eyes out of your business — even if they happen to somehow gain access to your network or system. If you want to learn more about how encryption helps protect business data, you can read our article on how encryption aids cloud security.

The technology comes in many forms, with key size and strength generally being the biggest differences in one variety from the next.

The Future of Encryption

Cyber attacks are constantly evolving, so security specialists must stay busy in the lab concocting new schemes to keep them at bay. Expert observers are hopeful that a new method called Honey Encryption will deter hackers by serving up fake data for every incorrect guess of the key code. This unique approach not only slows attackers down, but potentially buries the correct key in a haystack of false hopes. Then there are emerging methods like quantum key distribution, which shares keys embedded in photons over fiber optic, that might have viability now and many years into the future as well.

Whether it’s protecting your email communications or stored data, some type of encryption should be included in your lineup of security tools. Successful attacks on victims like Target show that it’s not 100 percent bulletproof, but without it, you’re offering up convenient access to your data. Find some tools that give you a piece of mind and stick with them!

Cryptography

Cryptography is the study of techniques used to communicate and store information securely without being intercepted or accessible by third parties. Cryptography is the science of keeping text secret. Cryptanalysis, on the other hand, is the process of trying to break secure cryptosystems (Alan Turing is a famous cryptanalysis because of his research during World War 2). Let’s start with first going over some definitions that are commonly used.

Symmetric Algorithms:

In symmetric algorithms, two people have an encryption and decryption method, and share a secret key. To give a better understanding, let’s take a look at Alice and Bob. Alice and Bob want to communicate over an insecure channel. Now let’s look at Oscar, who wants to eavesdrop on this channel. Symmetric algorithms offer a solution to this problem; a key has to only be generated once between Alice and Bob, and then can be used for more communications. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), for example, uses a hybrid encryption scheme that first generates a symmetric key and then uses an asymmetric key to protect that information.

Asymmetric (aka Public-Key) Algorithms:

Asymmetric algorithms work a lot like symmetric key algorithms. As with symmetric cryptography, a user has a public key and secret key. Unlike asymmetric keys, symmetric keys use different keys for encryption and decryption. Asymmetric algorithms are used in digital signatures, key establishment, and classical data encryption. Also, note that the asymmetric / symmetric algorithms in the two approaches have different characteristics and are not directly comparable with each other.

Key distribution:

Sometimes called a key distribution center (KDC), it is how we convey keys to those who need to establish a secure communication.

Key management:

Like the term implies, key management answers the question on given a large amount of keys, how we store them etc.

How Encryption Works

Encryption is an interesting piece of technology that works by scrambling data so it is unreadable by unintended parties. Let’s take a look at how it works with the email-friendly software PGP (or GPG for the open source people).

Say I want to send you a private message, so I encrypt it using either one of these programs. Here’s the message:

wUwDPglyJu9LOnkBAf4vxSpQgQZltcz7LWwEquhdm5kSQIkQlZtfxtSTsmaw
 q6gVH8SimlC3W6TDOhhL2FdgvdIC7sDv7G1Z7pCNzFLp0lgB9ACm8r5RZOBi
 N5ske9cBVjlVfgmQ9VpFzSwzLLODhCU7/2THg2iDrW3NGQZfz3SSWviwCe7G
 mNIvp5jEkGPCGcla4Fgdp/xuyewPk6NDlBewftLtHJVf
 =PAb3

Once encrypted, the message literally becomes a jumbled mess of random characters. But, equipped with the secret passcode I text you, you can decrypt it and find the original message.

Let’s go and eat chips and coke!

Whether it’s in transit like our coke party email or resting on your hard drive, encryption works to keep prying eyes out of your business — even if they happen to somehow gain access to your network or system. If you want to learn more about how encryption helps protect business data, you can read our article on how encryption aids cloud security.

The technology comes in many forms, with key size and strength generally being the biggest differences in one variety from the next.

The Future of Encryption

Cyber attacks are constantly evolving, so security specialists must stay busy in the lab concocting new schemes to keep them at bay. Expert observers are hopeful that a new method called Honey Encryption will deter hackers by serving up fake data for every incorrect guess of the key code. This unique approach not only slows attackers down, but potentially buries the correct key in a haystack of false hopes. Then there are emerging methods like quantum key distribution, which shares keys embedded in photons over fiber optic, that might have viability now and many years into the future as well.

Whether it’s protecting your email communications or stored data, some type of encryption should be included in your lineup of security tools. Successful attacks on victims like Target show that it’s not 100 percent bulletproof, but without it, you’re offering up convenient access to your data. Find some tools that give you a piece of mind and stick with them!