Data Encryption Essay

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.

Encryption is a process that turns information that is plainly readable into scrambled form in order to preserve the authenticity, integrity, and privacy of the information that passes through the security perimeter (Michael E. Whitman, 2009). It is the conversion of electronic data into another form, called ciphertext, which cannot be easily understood by anyone except authorized parties (Rouse, 2014).

Encryption is a method of encoding a message or information before sending it, so unauthorized users can’t access it without permission and only the person who has authorised access to it can decode it. Encryption is used to keep things secure and keep things confidential within the organisation. For example let’s say you have a chat with a friend on Skype, when you’re sending a message to him, that message will display as random symbols until he receives it, which then decodes it and makes it so that only he can read it. This allows the communication to be secure and private, no one will be able to know what the message says.

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).

An encryption algorithm takes the original message and encodes it using the encryption key and creates an encrypted message. The only way to retrieve the original message is by decrypting the message using the encryption key. If the encryption key uses a 128-bit key is the same as saying that there are 128² possible key combinations. Algorithms are classified

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.

According to the Newton's Telecom Dictionary, cryptography is, "the process of concealing the contents of a message from all except those who know the key," (207). It is also defined as ". . . the science, or art, of secret writing," (Huffman 2). The word "cryptography" originated

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,

With that being said, the focus of the paper will divert from the whole and focus on a specific protection, Confidentiality. Confidentiality is an important concept at the tip of the CIA Triad. The question becomes, how do business, organizations, and individuals protect their information and “ensure that only authorized parties can view information” (Ciampa, 2012, p.12)? A significant characteristic of ensuring confidentiality revolves around the concepts of cryptography and encryption. These two terms are not interchangeable. Encryption is a form of cryptography; while cryptography is “the science of secret communication, encryption refers to one component of that science” (Forlanda, 2015). More specifically, encryption is a practice that uses a mathematical algorithm to create a secure and secret message that can only be read by select individuals who are given access, in the form of a key, to decrypt and decipher the information. Encryption works by taking unaltered data that is ready to be encrypted, also known as plaintext data, and placing that data through an encryption algorithm that converts the text into scrambled data, otherwise known as ciphertext. Based on the mathematical algorithm used to scramble the data, a key is used to decrypt the data based on a decryption

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:

Given the lack of ability to inspect merchandise before purchase, consumers are at higher risk of fraud than face-to-face transactions. Merchants also risk fraudulent purchases using stolen credit cards or fraudulent repudiation of the online purchase. However, merchants face less risk from physical theft by using a warehouse instead of a retail storefront. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant. However, one must still trust the merchant and employees not to use the credit card information subsequently for their own purchases, and not to pass the information to others. Also, hackers might break into a merchant's web site and steal names, addresses and credit card numbers, although the Payment Card

Encryption is a method of converting plain text to cipher text using some base keys and