Cryptography
Cryptography
Some data is very sensitive and therefore it has to be hidden away from parties who are not supposed to view it. In this age of computers, their capacity for transfer and retrieval of information may be exploited by other parties to gain access to confidential and potentially dangerous data. Therefore, measures have been taken to ensure that data is not accessed by others which is done by using several methods which, besides physical security, includes the use of encryption algorithms which are programs that change the way information looks by rendering it illegible.
Data encryption is an important part of computing and, if done properly, can provide the user with means through which data can be
…show more content…
This complex procedure ensures that the data is safe from being accessed by other parties[4]. Therefore, the key is an important component of the data encryption process since it is the one that makes the data into a unique cipher text that cannot be accessed by other individuals and it is also applied while decrypting the data. The key in computers is measured in bits and if an individual knows the algorithm but does not know the key, the data cannot be accessed algorithmically since the key is a major component to its being decrypted.
The most common method for breaking a cipher is through brute-force attack where the possible combinations of the key are guessed and applied until the right combination is arrived at. Therefore, the longer the key the harder it would be to crack the code.
The personal involvement of Janet as shown by the message which asks her to personally transfer money to her own bank account is suspect. This is in view of the fact that Janet knows the key to Susan’s account and could have used it to transfer the money to her own account. Therefore, the bank could be using the private key encryption system in which the key is known to the business-in this case Janet and to the customer-Susan. The fact that 3DES requires that one knows the key to access information may be the clue to unraveling the truth. Since Janet is supposed to have the key for
Cryptanalysis is the study of analyzing information systems in an attempt to learn the secluded aspects of the systems. It is used to break cryptographic security systems and gain access to the contents of encrypted messages. In The Code Book, it analyzes how people can invade your internet privacy even if you code your information. Viruses on the internet can decipher subsequent messages and programs such as the Trojan Horse can appear as a genuine encryption product, but which actually betrays
Encryption technique is the translation of data into a secret code that will prevent hackers or identity thieves from being able to break or read the data that is sent across the network.
When a fellow general received the message, he would wrap the paper around his corresponding scytale to decipher the message (Tyson 2014). Since the advent of computers though, encryption has become increasing important and relies almost solely on cryptographic means to secure information. When speaking about encryption today, it refers more to the process rather than the mathematical formulas used to scramble data. The basic idea behind encrypting a computer message is such that it is scrambled with a sequence of random bits, known as a key, and only parties with the corresponding key can transpose it back into a comprehensible format. These keys are created via a cipher, otherwise known as an algorithm. When a user sends a message, known as the plaintext, across a network, the computer applies an algorithm to the information to encode it, resulting in a ciphertext (Encryption Basics 2014). This method can be best summarized visually:
Encryption is the conversion of electronic data into another form, called cipher text, which cannot be easily understood by anyone except authorized parties. The primary purpose of encryption is to protect the confidentiality of digital data stored on computer systems or transmitted via the Internet or other computer networks. Modern encryption algorithms play
Moreover, encryption requires use of a key or cipher, which is used to lock and unlock the hidden data. Such a key is necessary to allow the hidden data to be viewed in an intelligible manner by those who are authorized to view it. However, there is always a risk that the encryption key might fall into the wrong hands, thereby allowing the information to be accessed by unauthorized viewers.
Data, often referred to as plaintext, is encrypted using an encryption algorithm and an encryption key. This process generates ciphertext that can only be viewed in its original form if decrypted with the correct key. Decryption is simply the inverse of encryption, following the same steps but reversing the order in which the keys are applied (Rouse, 2014).
The key can be changes and unique to each sender and receiver. ("Symmetric encryption,”) states, “There are two types of symmetric algorithms. Stream algorithms (Stream ciphers) and Block algorithms (Block ciphers).” Stream ciphers only encrypt one bit at a time. This can make this cipher faster than block ciphers, but stream ciphers have a security gap that can be harmful for specific types of attacks. These specific attacks can cause information to be compromised. Block ciphers encrypts information in blocks instead of doing it bit by bit. The size of the blocks is usually 64 bits. Triple DES and AES are the most popular symmetric algorithms that use block ciphers.
There’s two types used in encryption, there’s the public key which is used to encrypt the information you trying to send. There is also the private key which is used to decrypt the message. The public and private key is used in many things for example emails and telephones. The reason why it’s so important that these two keys are used is because the message you’re sending stays between you and the receiver, therefore the message will not get interrupted by an invader.
Encyption takes data and transforms it into unreadable jargon until a key is used to unlock or decrypt the data back to its original form. Due to its near infallibility, encryption is one the most best ways to secure data (Williams & Sawyer, 2015).
Encrypting files is an effective way of securing information over the internet and protect the confidentiality and integrity of data. 128-bit encryption is the mathematical equivalent of key combinations used by encryption and decryption algorithms to keep data transmission secure. The strength of a key is in the key length, and numbers of bits in a key, the longer the key the more secure or hard it will be to crack the encryption.
To understand encryption, you must place yourself into the internet of the 90’s. At the time the internet was still new, all the data could be seen and accessed easily.The problem was that anyone could access your information and read it. This was a major issue because at that time, internet privacy was almost impossible.
Encryption converts data from a readable form to unintelligible text. Only authorized users are able to convert the data back into a readable format. (Sayles & Trawick,
We can say that the weakness of the keys and the process of incorrect use, as well as erroneous implementation cannot be considered as a unique case because it represents a common risk for each encryption algorithms [21].
SCENARIO ONE: 1. Alice, a high net worth customer, she banks online at Super Secure Bank (SSB) and has agreed to use 3DES in communicating with SSB. 2. One day, Alice received a statement that shows a debit of $1,000,000 from her account. On inquiring, she was told that the bank manager,Bob, transferred the money out of Alice's account and into an account of his own in an offshore bank. 3. When reached via email in the Cayman Islands, Bob produced a message from Alice, properly encrypted with the agreed upon 3DES keys, saying: "Thanks for your many years of fine service, Bob. Please transfer $1,000,000 from my account to yours as a token of my esteem and appreciation. Signed, Alice." 4. Alice filed suit
Encryption is a method of programming data for security so that it appears to be random data. Only the people sending and receiving the information have the key to decrypt the message, which will put it back into its original form making it readable. The only people with the key are the people who are intended to read the message. Not many people know what encryption is. I took a survey of twenty students and asked two questions. The first question I asked was do you know what encryption means and the second question I asked was have you ever heard of anybody using encryption. This is a chart of the information I received: