Symmetric / Asymmetric cryptography
Thanks to IronCore Labs for the great Tutorial/Course ! I found it so informative and useful that it inspired me to create this part.
Symmetric cryptography
Symmetric cryptography is a type of encryption that uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. This means that the sender and receiver must both have the same secret key in order to communicate securely.
Symmetric cryptography is a very efficient way to encrypt data, and it is widely used in a variety of applications, including:
Secure communication channels: Symmetric cryptography is used to establish secure communication channels, such as HTTPS and TLS. This allows users to communicate securely over the Internet without having to worry about their data being intercepted or eavesdropped on.
File encryption: Symmetric cryptography is used to encrypt files. This protects the confidentiality of the files and makes them unreadable to unauthorized individuals.
Disk encryption: Symmetric cryptography is used to encrypt disk drives. This protects the confidentiality of the data on the disk drive and makes it unreadable if the disk drive is lost or stolen.
Password storage: Symmetric cryptography is used to store passwords securely. This makes it difficult for attackers to crack passwords and gain access to user accounts.
Symmetric cryptography is very secure, but it is important to keep the secret key secret. If an attacker gains access to the secret key, they will be able to decrypt all of the data that has been encrypted with that key.
Here are some examples of symmetric cryptography algorithms:
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
Data Encryption Standard (DES)
Triple DES (3DES)
Blowfish
RC4
Symmetric cryptography is a very important tool for data security, and it is widely used in a variety of applications. It is important to choose a strong symmetric cryptography algorithm and to keep the secret key secret.
Asymmetric cryptography
Asymmetric cryptography, also known as public-key cryptography, is a type of encryption that uses two different keys to encrypt and decrypt data: a public key and a private key. The public key can be known to everyone, but the private key must be kept secret.
Asymmetric cryptography is less efficient than symmetric cryptography, but it is more secure. This is because an attacker would need to obtain both the public key and the private key in order to decrypt the data.
Asymmetric cryptography is widely used in a variety of applications, including:
Secure communication channels: Asymmetric cryptography is used to establish secure communication channels, such as HTTPS and SFTP. This allows users to communicate securely over the Internet without having to worry about their data being intercepted or eavesdropped on.
Digital signatures: Asymmetric cryptography is used to create digital signatures. Digital signatures allow users to verify the authenticity and integrity of digital messages and documents.
File encryption: Asymmetric cryptography can be used to encrypt files. This protects the confidentiality of the files and makes them unreadable to unauthorized individuals.
Key exchange: Asymmetric cryptography can be used to exchange encryption keys securely. This is useful for applications where the sender and receiver do not share a secret key in advance.
Here are some examples of asymmetric cryptography algorithms:
RSA
Diffie–Hellman key exchange
Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC)
Asymmetric cryptography is a very important tool for data security, and it is widely used in a variety of applications. It is a good choice for applications where security is important, but it is important to be aware of the performance overhead associated with using asymmetric cryptography.
Transform encryption
Transform encryption is a type of encryption that allows you to encrypt data and then re-encrypt it with a different key without decrypting it first. This is useful for a variety of applications, such as:
Key rotation: Transform encryption allows you to rotate your encryption keys without having to decrypt and re-encrypt all of your data. This can help to improve the security of your data by making it more difficult for attackers to compromise your keys.
Data sharing: Transform encryption allows you to share encrypted data with multiple parties without having to share your encryption keys with them. This can help to protect the confidentiality of your data while still allowing you to share it with others.
Data governance: Transform encryption can be used to implement data governance policies, such as preventing certain users from accessing certain types of data. This can help to protect your data from unauthorized access and use.
Transform encryption is implemented using a variety of different techniques, but the basic principle is the same: the data is first encrypted with one key, and then it is encrypted again with a different key. The order in which the data is encrypted is important, as decrypting the data in the wrong order will result in plaintext.
To decrypt data that has been encrypted with transform encryption, the keys must be used in the reverse order in which they were used to encrypt the data. So, if the data was encrypted with key A and then key B, it must be decrypted with key B and then key A.
Transform encryption can be a complex topic, but it is a powerful tool that can be used to improve the security and manageability of your encrypted data.
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