What Is Encryption in Computer Security?
It is essentially a process of scrambling data and information into an unreadable form that can only be unlocked by those who hold the keys. This can be accomplished using a wide range of mathematic models and is utilized every day to protect the information and data consumers and businesses use in their daily lives.
Modern encryption algorithms play a critical part in ensuring the confidentiality of digital information stored on computers or transmitted over networks like the internet. It also provides security measures such as authentication (verifying the source of the message), integrity (ensuring it hasn’t been altered) and anti-repudiation.
Encryption works by converting plaintext that is human-readable into an encrypted format known as ciphertext, using algorithms or mathematical models. The ciphertext is only transformed back into plain text with a decryption key, which is a secret string of numbers or passwords that the sender and recipient agree upon. The more secure the cryptographic keys, the harder it is for third-party users to crack the code using brute force methods.
A number of privacy and security rules require the use of strong encryption in order to ensure that private information remains private and secure. Many people and businesses use encryption to protect their files, folders, and entire PCs with software applications like 7-Zip or CertainSafe and can also protect their entire hard drive in the cloud through virtual private networks. Many companies offer multiple encryption solutions to provide the strongest security.