Encryption : In Day-to-Day life!

Encryption is simply a means to deliver a message in code. Anyone without the correct key cannot decode the message; to everyone else, the message seems to be a random collection of letters, numbers, and characters.

If you're trying to convey sensitive information that other people shouldn't be able to access, encryption is really essential. It's important to add an extra layer of security to sensitive information because emails are sent over the internet and might be intercepted by an attacker.

Although encrypted data appears random, encryption proceeds in a logical, predictable way, allowing a party that receives the encrypted data and possesses the right key to decrypt the data, turning it back into plaintext. Truly secure encryption will use keys complex enough that a third party is highly unlikely to decrypt or break the ciphertext by?brute force, in other words, by guessing the key.

Data can be encrypted "at rest," when it is stored, or "in transit," while it is being transmitted somewhere else.

How does encryption work?

• Obtain the public key for the person you want to be able to read the information. If you get the key from a public key ring, contact the person directly to confirm that the series of letters and numbers associated with the key is the correct fingerprint.
• Encrypt the email message using their public key. Most email clients have a feature to easily perform this task.
• When the person receives the message, he or she will be able to decrypt it.

What is a key in cryptography?

A string of characters called a cryptographic key is used in an encryption method to change data so that it appears random. It locks (encrypts) data, just like a real key, so that only someone with the proper key may unlock (decrypt) it.

What are the different types of encryptions?

The two main kinds of encryption are symmetric encryption and?asymmetric encryption. Asymmetric encryption is also known as?public key?encryption.

In symmetric encryption, there is only one key, and all communicating parties use the same (secret) key for both encryption and decryption. In asymmetric, or public key, encryption, there are two keys: one key is used for encryption, and a different key is used for decryption. The decryption key is kept private (hence the "private key" name), while the encryption key is shared publicly, for anyone to use (hence the "public key" name). Asymmetric encryption is a foundational technology for?TLS?(often called?SSL).

Why is it required to encrypt data?

Privacy: Encryption makes sure that only the intended recipient or the legitimate data owner may access messages or data that is at rest. This safeguards user privacy by preventing hackers, ad networks, Internet service providers, and occasionally governments from intercepting and reading private information.

Security: Whether the data is in transit or at rest, encryption helps prevent data breaches. The data on a lost or stolen corporate device will not be compromised because the hard disc is adequately encrypted. Similar to this, encrypted communications allow the communicating parties to exchange private information without the information being revealed.

Data integrity: Encryption aids in stopping bad conduct like on-path assaults. Encryption ensures that when data is sent over the Internet, it has not been read or tampered with en route to the recipient.

Regulations: As a result of all of these factors, numerous industry and governmental rules demand that businesses handling user data maintain that data encrypted. HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and the GDPR are a few examples of regulatory and compliance standards that demand encryption.

What is an encryption algorithm?

An encryption algorithm is the method used to transform data into ciphertext. An algorithm will use the encryption key in order to alter the data in a predictable way, so that even though the encrypted data will appear random, it can be turned back into plaintext by using the decryption key.

What are some common encryption algorithms?

Commonly used symmetric encryption algorithms include:

• AES
• 3-DES
• SNOW

Commonly used asymmetric encryption algorithms include:

• RSA
• Elliptic curve cryptography

What is a brute force attack in encryption?

A brute force assault is when an attacker who is unaware of the decryption key makes millions or billions of guesses in an effort to get the key. Modern computers make brute force attacks much faster, therefore encryption needs to be very robust and intricate. The majority of contemporary encryption techniques, when combined with strong passwords, are immune to brute force attacks, however they might become so in the future as computers get more and more powerful. Brute force attacks are still possible with weak passwords.

How is encryption used to keep Internet browsing secure?

Encryption is foundational for a variety of technologies, but it is especially important for keeping?HTTP?requests and responses secure. The protocol responsible for this is called?HTTPS?(Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). A website served over HTTPS instead of HTTP will have a URL that begins with https:// instead of https://, usually represented by a secured lock in the address bar.

HTTPS uses the encryption protocol called Transport Layer Security (TLS). In the past, an earlier encryption protocol called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) was the standard, but TLS has replaced SSL. A website that implements HTTPS will have a?TLS certificate?installed on its origin server.?

How is it encryption different from digital signatures?

Like digital signatures, public-key encryption utilizes software such as PGP, converts information with mathematical algorithms, and relies on public and private keys, but there are differences:

• The purpose of encryption is confidentiality—concealing the content of the message by translating it into a code. The purpose of digital signatures is integrity and authenticity—verifying the sender of a message and indicating that the content has not been changed. Although encryption and digital signatures can be used independently, you can also sign an encrypted message.
• When you sign a message, you use your private key, and anybody who has your public key can verify that the signature is valid. When you encrypt a message, you use the public key for the person you're sending it to, and his or her private key is used to decrypt the message. Because people should keep their private keys confidential and should protect them with passwords, the intended recipient should be the only one who is able to view the information.

Why You Should Encrypt Your Files

The nightmare situation would be if your laptop were stolen and had a million social security numbers, or bank information, or PII is stored on it. Unencrypted. It will be a nightmare.

If you don’t store information like that on your computer, and you only use it at home, then you don’t?need?to use encryption. But it’s still a good idea. Encryption is especially relevant for people who are concerned about data breaches. And companies often require it in information security policies.

Encryption is key to making sure that your data is protected. It’s also an easy best practice to include in your security policies.?SOC 2, a common security framework, Confidentiality, that dictates confidential information must be encrypted to limit access by unqualified parties. This encryption process can vary between systems and devices, so I am going to break it down one at a time for you, starting with?Windows 10?and?Bitlocker.

BitLocker?is Microsoft’s proprietary disk encryption software for Windows 10. Following these eight steps will make sure your data is safe and protected. Plus it’s free and you don’t have to install anything. You can use BitLocker to encrypt your entire drive, as well as protect against unauthorized changes to your system like firmware-level malware.

How to Encrypt Your Hard Drive in Windows 10

1. Locate the hard drive you want to encrypt under “This PC” in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click the target drive and choose “Turn on BitLocker.”
3. Choose “Enter a Password.”
4. Enter a secure password.
5. Choose “How to Enable Your Recovery Key” which you’ll use to access your drive if you lose your password. You can print it, save it as a file to your hard drive, save it as a file to a USB drive, or save the key to your Microsoft account.
6. Choose “Encrypt Entire Drive.” This option is more secure and encrypts files you marked for deletion.
7. Unless you need your drive to be compatible with older Windows machines, choose “New Encryption Mode.”
8. Click “Start Encrypting” to begin the encryption process. Note that this will require a computer restart if you’re encrypting your boot drive. The encryption will take some time, but it will run in the background, and you’ll still be able to use your computer while it runs.

Note: BitLocker is not available on Windows 10 Home edition, but there is a similar feature for device encryption.

Thanks for reading.