Data Encryption
Why do I need data encryption?
Today, when there's a great number of malicious software that could not only harm and delete the important information, but simply steal it and transfer to hackers, you should be especially attentive to the security of the data you store on your computer or share via the network.
In order to ensure the data protection they use data encryption. What is it and how does it work?
Data encryption is conversion of information from open into closed and vice versa, data coding so that one should have a special decryption code to get the information.
A key is the secret information used by the algorithm during encryption. The whole result of encryption depends on the key, because its loss makes the data decryption almost impossible.
Keys are divided into secret (symmetric) – the same key is used for encryption and decryption of data; asymmetric (two keys) – the closed key is known only to the owner; the open key can be made public and is used to verify the document authenticity.
Data encryption ensures privacy of the data, storing or sharing via the network.
Types of encryption
According to the used key structure, encryption is divided into:
- Symmetric – unauthorized persons could know the encryption algorithm, but they don't know the key, which is known only to the sender and recipient of this message; symmetric encryption is more suitable for ciphering great information scope, since it's performed in flows.
- Asymmetric – unauthorized persons could know the algorithm, as well as the open key, but they don't know the closed key, which is known only to the recipient; the algorithm of asymmetric encryption is more suitable for minor data scope.
Authentication is used in data ciphering: the sender uses digital signature in order to confirm his personality. It's necessary to ensure the recipient that he's received the information from the wanted person but not from the stranger.
According to the algorithm of data conversion the encryption methods are divided into:
1. Encryption of secure cryptostrength
2. Encryption of temporary cryptostrength
Note: cryptostrenght is the ability of the algorithm to resist various attacks.
Today the most spread ciphering method is encryption with the help of open key: two different keys are used to encipher and decipher the data (secret cryptography). The drawback of this system could be the slowdown of data transferring process; however, as to the data security it has no equal. <
strong>Encryption software
Today you can cipher the important information with the help of the software, developed specially for this purpose. The example of such software is Dekart Private Disk Lite, which helps to hide the information by creating virtually enciphered disk. The program provides the security that is very hard and almost impossible to bypass.
Nowadays there're great many of such programs. Together with antiviruses and other security software, data encryption is a good way to protect your information from infection and leak.