What is Encryption?

(Basic Concepts,
Process, and Types)

Encryption is the procedure of converting data into a secret code that hides the
real meaning of the data. Cryptography is the field of encrypting and decrypting
information.

Encryption has long been a popular method of safeguarding sensitive data.

Historically, military and governments have employed it. Encryption is used to
safeguard data on computers and storage devices, as well as data in transit via
networks, in modern times.

 Unencrypted data is referred to as plaintext in computing, whereas encrypted data is referred

to as ciphertext.
 Encryption algorithms, often known as ciphers, are formulae that are used to encode and
decode communications.
 A cipher must include a variable as part of its algorithm to be effective. The variable, known
as a key, is what distinguishes a cipher's output.
 When an unauthorized party intercepts an encrypted message, the intruder must figure out the
cipher the sender used to encrypt the message and whose keys were used as variables.
Encryption is a crucial security technique because of the time and complexity of guessing this
information.

How Does Encryption Work?

Something as basic as "Hello, world!" might be considered original information
or plain text. As an encrypted text, this may seem like something perplexing
like 7*#0+gvU2x—something apparently unconnected to the plaintext

Encryption, on the other hand, is a logical process in which the person receiving
the encrypted data – but not the key – can simply decode it and return it to
plaintext.

For decades, attackers have attempted to decipher such keys via brute force,
that is, by attempting over and over again. Cybercriminals are gradually gaining
access to more powerful computational power, allowing them to obtain access
to systems even when flaws exist.

When data is maintained, such as in a database, it must be encrypted "at rest,"

and when it is accessed or sent between parties, it must be encrypted "in
transit."

Encryption Algorithm
A mathematical technique for converting plaintext (data) to ciphertext is known
as an encryption algorithm. The key will be used by an algorithm to modify
the data in a predictable manner. Even though the encrypted data appears to
be random, the key may be used to convert it back to plaintext.

Blowfish, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Rivest Cipher 4 (RC4), RC5,

RC6, Data Encryption Standard (DES), and Twofish are some of the most
regularly used encryption algorithms. Encryption has progressed throughout
time, from a system used primarily by governments for topsecret activities to a
must-have for enterprises seeking to protect their data's security and privacy.

Different Types of Encryption

There are several forms of encryption, each with its own set of advantages and
applications.

Symmetric Encryption

Only one secret key is needed to encode and decipher information in this simple
encryption method. While it is the oldest and the most well-known encryption
method, it has the disadvantage of requiring both parties to have access to the
key used to encrypt the data before they can decode it.

AES-128, AES-192, and AES-256 are symmetric encryption methods.

Symmetric encryption is the recommended approach for transferring data in
bulk as it is less difficult and also runs faster.

Asymmetric Encryption
Asymmetric encryption, often known as public-key cryptography, is a relatively
recent method for encrypting and decrypting data that employs two separate
but related keys. One key is private, while the other is public.

Encryption is done with the public key, while decryption is done with the private
key (and vice versa). The public key does not require security because it is
public and may be shared via the internet.

Asymmetric encryption is a far more powerful alternative for safeguarding the

security of data delivered over the internet. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or
Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates are used to protect websites. A
request to a web server returns a copy of the digital certificate, from which a
public key may be retrieved while the private key remains private.

Data Encryption Standard (DES)

DES is a deprecated symmetric key encryption technique. Because DES

encrypts and decrypts messages using the same key, both the sender and the
receiver must have access to the same private key. The more secure AES
algorithm has supplanted DES.

In 1977, the United States government approved it as an official standard for

the encryption of federal computer data. DES is widely regarded as the catalyst
for the contemporary cryptography and encryption industries.

Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES)

The Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES) is a method of encrypting (3DES).

It requires three distinct keys and three runs of the DES algorithm. 3DES was
primarily considered as a temporary solution since the single DES algorithm was
becoming to be seen as too weak to withstand brute force attacks, while the
more powerful AES was still being tested.

Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)
RSA is a cryptosystem, a collection of cryptographic algorithms used for certain
security services or purposes. It allows public-key encryption and is commonly
used by browsers and virtual private networks to connect to websites (VPNs).

RSA is asymmetric, meaning it encrypts with two separate keys: one public and
one private. If the public key is used for decryption, the private key is used for
encryption, and vice versa.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a standard and the most secure type of
encryption. AES uses “symmetric” key encryption. Advanced Encryption
Standard is a symmetric encryption algorithm that encrypts fixed blocks of data
(of 128 bits) at a time.

Why is it Important to Encrypt the Data?

Encryption is essential for many technologies, but it is especially critical for
making HTTP requests and answers safe, as well as authenticating website
origin servers. HTTPS is the protocol that is accountable for this (Hypertext
Transfer Protocol Secure). A website delivered using HTTPS rather than HTTP
has a URL that starts with https:// rather than http://, which is commonly
indicated by a secure lock in the address bar.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the encryption mechanism used by HTTPS

(TLS). Previously, the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption protocol was the
industry standard, however, TLS has now supplanted SSL. A TLS certificate will
be deployed on the origin server of a website that uses HTTPS. TLS and HTTPS
are two terms that you should be familiar with.

The primary goal of Encryption is to safeguard the privacy of digital data kept
on computers or communicated over the internet or any other computer
network.

In addition to security, the necessity to comply with legislation is frequently a

driving force for the adoption of encryption. To prevent unwanted third parties
or threat actors from accessing sensitive data, a number of organizations and
standard bodies either suggest or enforce encryption. The Credit Card Industry
Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), for example, mandates that merchants
encrypt their customers' payment card data when it is held at rest and sent
over public networks.

Key Management System

While encryption is intended to prevent unauthorized entities from
understanding the data they have obtained, it can also prevent the data's owner
from accessing the data in specific circumstances. Because the keys to decrypt
the encrypted text must be kept someplace in the environment, and attackers
often know where to look, key management is one of the most difficult aspects
of developing an enterprise encryption strategy.

There is a slew of recommended practices for managing encryption keys. It's

only that key management adds to the backup and restore process's
complexity. If a big disaster occurs, the procedure of obtaining the keys and
transferring them to a new backup server may lengthen the time it takes to
begin the recovery process.

It's not enough to have a key management system in place. Administrators

must devise a thorough security strategy to safeguard the key management
system. This usually entails backing it up independently from everything else
and keeping the backups in a method that allows you to quickly recover the
keys in the case of a large-scale disaster.

How Do Attackers Crack the Encrypted Data?

Cybercriminals, hackers, and attackers employ various methods to crack the
encrypted data and get access to sensitive data. Following are some of the
popular methods to get unauthorized access to encrypted data −

Brute Force Attack

When an attacker doesn't know the decryption key, they try millions or billions
of guesses to figure it out. This is known as Brute Force Attack.
The most fundamental form of attack for any cipher is the Brute Force—
attempting each key until the appropriate one is found. The number of viable
keys is determined by the length of the key, indicating the attack's viability. The
strength of encryption is proportional to the key size, but as the key size grows,
so does the resources required to conduct the computation.

With today's computers, brute force assaults are substantially faster. Hence,
encryption must be very strong and complicated. Most contemporary encryption
systems, when combined with strong passwords, are immune to brute force
assaults. Yet, as computers get more powerful, they may become vulnerable to
such attacks in the future. Brute-force attacks can still be used against weak
passwords.

Side-Channel Attack

Side-channel attacks, which attack the physical side effects of the cipher's
implementation rather than the cipher itself, are an alternative means of
cracking encryptions. Such assaults can be made successful if there is a flaw in
the system's design or execution.

Cryptanalysis

Attackers may also try cryptanalysis to break a targeted cypher. It is the act of
looking for a flaw in the cypher that may be exploited with a lower level of
complexity than a brute-force assault. When a cypher is already weak, the task
of effectively attacking it becomes easy.

The DES algorithm, for example, has been suspected of being damaged by
meddling from the National Security Agency (NSA). Many believe the NSA tried
to undermine alternative cryptography standards and degrade encryption
products after the revelations of former NSA analyst and contractor Edward
Snowden.