What Is Encryption And Its Types

Encryption:

Encryption is a form of data security in which information is converted into ciphertext. Only authorized people who have the key can decipher the code and access the original plain text information.

 

encryption type

Here are some examples of common types of encryption used today.

 

triple dece

Triple Data Encryption Standard (DES), often written 3DES, is a variant of the original DES encryption algorithm that encrypts data three times. Triple DES uses three 64-bit keys, so the key length is 192 bits. Triple DES is a symmetric encryption, and the key is private. Because it encrypts data in 64-bit segments, Triple DES is considered a block cipher. Cipher Block Chaining (CBC), however, is an encryption mode that struggles at high data rates.

 

blowfish

Blowfish is an encryption technology designed by Bruce Schneier in 1993. Similar to Triple DES, Blowfish is a symmetric block cipher. Unlike Triple DES, Blowfish performs variable-length key encryption. Instead of setting 64-bit segments, Blowfish encrypts segments ranging from 32 to 448 bits. Blowfish is a patent-free and unlicensed encryption technology. For this reason, it is free and available for public use.

 

RSA

The RSA encryption key, named after its creators Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Edelman, is the standard encryption technique for protecting critical data. RSA is asymmetric cryptography, so there is a public key and a private key. The RSA algorithm uses prime factorization. Simply put, this key requires factorization of the product of two large prime numbers. Although it sounds simple, figuring out these two numbers can be tricky. Decrypting can be expensive and tedious, even for large computers. While RSA can be very useful, it becomes increasingly inefficient at higher security levels.

 

aes

Due to an increase in brute-force attacks on the original DES, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was put into place in 2002. AES is a symmetric block cipher that was originally named Rijndael. This block cipher uses three different keys: AES-128, AES-192, and AES-256. These three keys are used to encrypt and decrypt 128 bits of information. Since its adoption, AES has been used to protect classified government information and sensitive data.

 

ECC

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a very advanced approach. Often based on a common public key algorithm, ECC combines elliptic curves and number theory to encrypt data. These elliptic curves lie within finite regions and are symmetric on the x-axis of a graph. Given these properties, cryptographers can provide strong security with very short and efficient keys. For example, an RSA key of 15,360 bits would be equivalent to an ECC key of just 512 bits.