#Types of encryption keys software#

DataShield offers compliance consultingВ to ensure that all of your businessвЂ™ data and policies are up-to-spec for local and federal laws.Д¬ontact us today for more information on how DataShield can help your data stay safe through its entire life cycle, from its conception to its destruction, when your computer is finally thrown out. DonвЂ™t stop with encryptionДonвЂ™t just stop with methods for encryption, though. Data encryption is a necessity (both for legal reasons and otherwise) when transmitting information like PHI, so no matter what method you choose, make sure youвЂ™re doing everything you can to protect data.

#Types of encryption keys software#

With this method, a public key freely available to everyone is used to encrypt messages, and a different, private key is used by the recipient to decrypt messages.ДЄny of these methods would likely prove sufficient for proper data security, and a quick Google search will reveal the multitude of software available for data encryption. Asymmetric encryption methods, or public-key cryptography, differ from the previous method because it uses two keys for encryption or decryption (giving it the potential to be more secure).Using this method, a sender encrypts the data with one key, sends the data (the ciphertext), and then the receiver uses the key to decrypt the data. Anyone with access to the key can decrypt the data. Symmetric encryption methods, also known as private-key cryptography, earned its name because the key used to encrypt and decrypt the message must remain secure.Hashing then (though not technically an encryption method as such) can still prove data hasnвЂ™t been tampered with. Extensions (S/MIME), Transport Layer Security (TLS). Once data is encrypted using hashing, it cannot be reversed or deciphered. Common forms of asymmetric encryption include: Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail. Each вЂњhashвЂќ is unique to a specific message, so minor changes to that message would be easy to track. Hashing creates a unique, fixed-length signature for a message or data set.3 different types of encryption methodsДЄccording to Wisegeek, three different encryption methods exist, each with their own advantages. Encryption methods can help ensure that data doesnвЂ™t get read by the wrong people, but can also ensure that data isnвЂ™t altered in transit, and verify the identity of the sender. The basic function of encryption essentially translates normal text into ciphertext. So, even if someone is able to gain access to a computer with personal data on it, they likely wonвЂ™t be able to do anything with the data unless they have complicated, expensive software or the original data key. What is data encryption?Д®ncryption is a technique for transforming information on a computer so it becomes unreadable. So what about all the time in between?Д®nter data encryption: a highly recommended way to keep your data out of the wrong hands the entire time itвЂ™s on your computer. Not only are data breaches incredibly expensive, but laws regarding data securityВ need to be followed if businesses want to avoid large fines.ДЄnd while we are obviously advocates of hard drive shredding when getting rid of your computer, that only guarantees the safety of your data once itвЂ™s time for new hard drives. Some commonly used encryption algorithms includeВ Blowfish, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Rivest Cipher 4 (RC4), RC5, RC6, Data Encryption Standard (DES), and Twofish.Д®ncryption has evolved over time, from a protocol that was used only by governments for top-secret operations to an everyday must-have for organizations to ensure the security and privacy of their data.ItвЂ™s no secret that we at DataShield are large proponents of data security. Even though the encrypted data appears to be random, it can actually be turned back into plaintext by using the key again. An algorithm will use the key to alter the data in a predictable way. Cybercriminals increasingly have access to stronger computing power such that sometimes, when vulnerabilities exist, they are able to gain access.Дata needs to be encrypted when it is in two different states: 'at rest,' when it is stored, such as in a database or 'in transit,' while it is being accessed or transmitted between parties.ДЄn encryption algorithm is a mathematical formula used to transform plaintext (data) into ciphertext. Original information, or plain text, might be something as simple as 'Hello, world!' As cipher text, this might appear as something confusing like 7*#0+gvU2x-something seemingly random or unrelated to the original plaintext.Д®ncryption, however, is a logical process, whereby the party receiving the encrypted data-but also in possession of the key-can simply decrypt the data and turn it back into plaintext.ДЇor decades, attackers have tried by brute force-essentially, by trying over and over again-to figure out such keys.