Encryption

Encryption

Introduction

Since the advent of computers and internet for the purpose of data transfer, a strong requirement was felt to hide the data from unauthorized users as the internet is occupied with a pool of users who share the same lines for transferring data. The world of computers has its own criminals namely hackers, who illegally interfere in a connection between two users and try to steal, monitor or access the data which is being shared between the two users.

In order to cater the issue of unauthorized access and hacking of data the computer world came with its own remedy by encrypting data. Encryption of data is the technique through which the data can only be accessed by limited users and unauthorized users or hackers cannot read or view the data.

When the data is transferred through a telecommunication medium like from a computer to a computer, mobile to a mobile, computer to mobile, mobile to computer, the data is transferred into digital streams. This digital data is transferred through packets or electromagnetic waves (Pareek, Patidar, & Sud, 2013). The receiver and transmitter both are set upon a certain frequency to communicate with each other.

However, if any unauthorized communicator sets its device on the same frequency he or she can read the data being transferred and can act by tampering it, stealing it or monitoring it. In order to cater these issues the data is transformed from simple language into a complex code which can only be decoded by a certain authorized device.

Discussion

How is Encryption Conducted?

Encryption by name sounds a very operation through which the data is hidden from hackers and unauthorized users, however, it is not so simple in fact it is very complex. In the technique of encryption the data or message of the transmitter (i.e. sender) is encrypted or hidden from unauthorized users through an encryption algorithm.

An encryption algorithm transforms the standard plain text if the sender into cipher text which is not recognizable without an encryption key. The encryption key and encryption algorithm generates a random number which is attached to the original message. When the receiver receives a cipher text (i.e. encrypted text) it uses a decryption algorithm with a secret decryption key. The secret decryption key is only valid when it accepts the random number generated by the sender. As the receiver receives the cipher text and it decodes it through the decryption algorithm, the text for the receiving user is simple in normal language as send by the sender or transmitter.

Encryption is generally categorized into two types. The first type is the symmetric key while the second is the public key encryption. In symmetric key encryption both the keys (i.e. encryption key and decryption key) are same. In this case both the parties agree upon a same key before communication takes place, as an e.g. Bluetooth data transfer can be considered as symmetric key encryption where the sender sets a password which is maintained by the sender as ...