In older days, we secure our data and important documents in a bank locker or almirah. Now the time has been changed, everything is shifted on the digital platforms, we are using digital tools, websites, app lock features to promote and secure our business resources and home. The term “encryption” is used at any apps and platforms. Know what does encryption mean here…
Whether you’re working for a small organization or big organization. Many times when you navigate to different sites, apps, or games, you receive the popup with the information, the data will be secured, security is prime and essential and one should be extra aware of it.
In the digital world, everything depends on the algorithm and keys, which keeps the data secure from one end to another end. So no unauthorized user can access and read the data.
Encryption is an ideal way to convert the normal text into a decipherable format, the sender sends the data in the normal text that is deciphered by the algorithm the end-user that has the access of special key like password, secret keyword, session key will be able to receive and read the data in the normal format.
The encryption has secured the real-world application and that’s why it is used in the different fields:
- When you search over the web for the keywords, the search engine uses the encryption algorithm to keep the requested data and user information secured.
- Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon AWS are cloud storage platforms that also used encryption algorithms to secure the data.
- There are a few free and paid encryption software applications available in the market that is concerned with securing personal and professional data like files, photos, videos, contacts, wallet cards, notes, and audio recordings, etc.
- You may have noticed the website’s domains that are visible in HTTP and HTTPs format. The s letter denotes the security of the website, SSL and TLS certificates encrypt the login information, cookies, and data from the server-side and client-side.
- Software, scripts, and drivers are determined by the unique ID, code signing software provides the additional security for these downloadable attributes.
- Email is a professional and easy communication medium, to secure the chat and messages between the client and companies, using email signing certificates and personal authentication certificates.
- To secure the important text format document and files, document signing certificates are used.
- Different organizations and companies proposed a different kind of data privacy laws and regulations to manage the internal and external security of information.
Encryption Terminology
In this post, we have used the keywords Ciphertext, Encryption, Keys, now understand them word to word:
Ciphertext
The encrypted form of simple text is defined as the Ciphertext. It is the format of the text that a receiver gets from the sender’s side. In this process, an algorithm and keys are used.
Encryption
When a normal text is converted into the specified format of code the process is known as the Encryption. To execute the process of encryption, there are some encryption keys constructed from symmetric keys and asymmetric keys.
Encryption keys
Encryption keys change the arrangement of data and information using the encryption key and algorithms.
Symmetric Keys
When the same key is proposed to everyone to code and decode the data (encrypt with the public key), it is considered as the Symmetric Keys.
Asymmetric Keys
These keys come in the pair of public and private keys that are bind with the mathematical terms. The Public key is available for everyone use, and only the owner has access to the Private key for the encryption process. The owner can perform any modifications in the encrypted data.
In some cases, Public key and private keys are essential to perform the encryption and decryption.
Encryption procedure in SSL certifications:
When any visitor navigates to the site and executes the steps to access the specific information using the credentials, the SSL certificate safeguards the transmitted information of two endpoints. Below we are mentioning a few steps to guide you about the SSL encryption procedure.
- Suppose you are hosting a website for personal and professional uses, the SSL certificate provides the security for the transactional details processed over the web and server. The process initiated during the transaction between the browser and server is named as certificate signing request.
- Two unique keys are assigned from the server-side that is the public key and private key.
- The website owner has to send the public key to the certification authority.
- When the key is validated by the authority, you get the SSL certificate for the website, the public key is attached to the certificate, and intermediate root certificates are also logged in with it.
Data Transmission using the symmetric key and asymmetric keys
We know that a website contains multiple pages, when a user clicks on the homepage of the site, the session gets activated and it lasts until the user makes an exit from the website. The session restricts the unauthorized transaction of data between the server-side and client-side.
When the user makes an entry to the website pages, the session key generated from the browser endpoint, the public key that is tied up with the SSL certificate used for the encryption process.
When the session key accesses the website’s server, if the server holds the private key it can decrypt the session.
Now, all the transferable data is encrypted from both the points by the symmetric key. Because of the session key, no one can access the information, when the individual makes access to the private key will be able to read and modify the data. Therefore, the data is secured by two layers of protection on the server and browser path.
When the two keys are involved in the encryption process together, the keys are named as asymmetric keys. Usually, this process is applied during the personal sharing session of Data and email communication. Email Signing certificates and Personal authentication certifications play a big role during this process. Let us understand this process through an example:
- Here, A is the first person, B is positioned on the second point.
- Now, A sends an email to B but to secure the data from unauthorized users the data will be converted into the ciphertext(encrypt with public key) with the help of B’s public key.
- B will receive this data in an encrypted format, B’s private key will be used to convert it into the readable format.
- In the encryption, the sender has access to the receiver’s public key to encrypt the data and the receiver has access to the private key to decrypt the data.
Hence, the encryption process will be completed with the pair of private key and the public key securely.
Is there any chance of encryption split?
Hackers use many miscellaneous and mischievous ways to decode the transactional layer, if in case the hackers have successfully got access to the private key, you may lose the data.
The encryption process uses the RSA-algorithm that one can’t understand easily, If anyone has practiced on quantum computers will successfully decrypt the data from the transaction layer.
In the year 2017, any sites that have been built using the SHA-1 certification are permanently canceled and unacceptable from all the browsers.
Now you know all about what does encrypted mean and how the data encrypt with public key, we are going to finish this post here.
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