What Is Data Encryption: Types, Algorithms, Techniques & Methods

What Is Data Encryption:
Types, Algorithms,
Techniques & Methods
Joemari Saysay Sabao, MIT
What Is Data Encryption: Types, Algorithms,
Techniques & Methods
› What is Data Encryption in Network Security?
› How Does Data Encryption Work?
› Why Do We Need Data Encryption?
› What are the 2 Types of Data Encryption Techniques?
› What is Hashing?
› Best Encryption Algorithms
What is Data Encryption in Network Security?
Data encryption is the process of converting data from a readable
format to a scrambled piece of information. This is done to prevent
prying eyes from reading confidential data in transit. Encryption can
be applied to documents, files, messages, or any other form of
communication over a network.
In order to preserve the integrity of our data, encryption is a vital

tool whose value cannot be overstated. Almost everything we see on
the internet has passed through some layer of encryption, be it
websites or applications.
Noted antivirus and endpoint security experts at Kaspersky define

encryption as “… the conversion of data from a readable format into an
encoded format that can only be read or processed after it's been
decrypted.”
What Is Data Encryption: Types, Algorithms, Techniques & Methods
What is Data Encryption in Network Security? cont.
They go on to say that encryption is considered the basic building

block of data security, widely used by large organizations, small
businesses, and individual consumers. It’s the most straightforward
and crucial means of protecting information that passes from
endpoints to servers.
Considering the elevated risk of cybercrime today, every person and

group that uses the internet should be familiar with and incorporate
basic encryption techniques, at the very least.

How Does Data Encryption Work?
The data that needs to be encrypted is termed plaintext or
cleartext. The plaintext needs to be passed via some encryption
algorithms, which are basically mathematical calculations to be done
on raw information. There are multiple encryption algorithms, each of
which differs by application and security index.
Apart from the algorithms, one also needs an encryption key. Using
said key and a suitable encryption algorithm, the plaintext is converted
into the encrypted piece of data, also known as ciphertext. Instead of
sending the plaintext to the receiver, the ciphertext is sent through
insecure channels of communication.

How Does Data Encryption Work? cont.
Once the ciphertext reaches the intended receiver, he/she can use
a decryption key to convert the ciphertext back to its original readable
format i.e. plaintext. This decryption key must be kept secret at all
times, and may or not be similar to the key used for encrypting the
message.

Example : How does Encryption & Decryption Work
A woman wants to send her boyfriend a personal text, so she encrypts
it using specialized software that scrambles the data into what appears
to be unreadable gibberish. She then sends the message out, and her
boyfriend, in turn, uses the correct decryption to translate it.
Thus, what starts out looking like this:

Example : How does Encryption & Decryption Work
Fortunately, the keys do all the actual encryption/decryption work,
leaving both people more time to contemplate the smoldering ruins of
their relationship in total privacy.

Why Do We Need Data Encryption?
› Authentication:
Public key encryption proves that a website's origin server owns
the private key and thus was legitimately assigned an SSL certificate.
In a world where so many fraudulent websites exist, this is an
important feature.
› Privacy:
Encryption guarantees that no one can read messages or access
data except the legitimate recipient or data owner. This measure
prevents cybercriminals, hackers, internet service providers,
spammers, and even government institutions from accessing and
reading personal data.

Why Do We Need Data Encryption? cont.
› Regulatory Compliance:
Many industries and government departments have rules in place
that require organizations that work with users’ personal information
to keep that data encrypted. A sampling of regulatory and compliance
standards that enforce encryption include HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR.
› Security:
Encryption helps protect information from data breaches, whether
the data is at rest or in transit. For example, even if a corporate-
owned device is misplaced or stolen, the data stored on it will most
likely be secure if the hard drive is properly encrypted. Encryption also
helps protect data against malicious activities like man-in-the-middle
attacks, and lets parties communicate without the fear of data leaks.

What is GDPR, PCI AND HIPAA?
› General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Representing the European Union laws, the GDPR protects the rights
of European citizens. According to the GDPR, personal data is any
information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This
personal data has to be protected and therefore there are laws (GDPR)
and standards (PCI DSS and HIPAA) for companies to adhere to.
› Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

The PCI DSS (in short PCI) is not a law – it’s a standard required by
the credit card companies. The PCI aims to help businesses process card
payments securely and reduce card fraud. To achieve this it implies
strict security controls for storing, transmitting and processing
cardholder’s data. The primary goal of implementing PCI is to protect
the cardholder information. That also includes the personal information
as defined by the GDPR (source: logsentinel.com).
What is GDPR, PCI AND HIPAA? cont.
› Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The HIPAA privacy rule regulates the use and disclosure of
protected health information (PHI) in healthcare treatment, payment
and operations held by so called covered entities (health plans,
healthcare clearinghouses and healthcare providers) (source:
tier3md.com). PHI is any demographic information that can be used to
identify a patient. This includes name, date of birth, address, financial
information, Social Security number, full facial photo, or insurance
information. PHI only includes information gathered by a HIPAA-
beholden entity (source: compliancy-group.com).

What are the 3 Types of Data Encryption Techniques?
There are several data encryption approaches available to choose from. Most
internet security (IS) professionals break down encryption into three distinct
methods: symmetric, asymmetric, and hashing. These, in turn, are broken
down into different types.
› What is the Symmetric Encryption Method?

Also called private-key cryptography or a secret key algorithm, this
method requires the sender and the receiver to have access to the same
key. So, the recipient needs to have the key before the message is
decrypted. This method works best for closed systems, which have less risk
of a third-party intrusion.
On the positive side, symmetric encryption is faster than asymmetric

encryption. However, on the negative side, both parties need to make sure
the key is stored securely and available only to the software that needs to
use it.
What are the 3 Types of Data Encryption Techniques? cont.
› What is the Asymmetric Encryption Method?

Also called public-key cryptography, this method uses two keys for
the encryption process, a public and a private key, which are
mathematically linked. The user employs one key for encryption and
the other for decryption, though it doesn’t matter which you choose
first.
As the name implies, the public key is freely available to anyone,
whereas the private key remains with the intended recipients only,
who need it to decipher the messages. Both keys are simply large
numbers that aren’t identical but are paired with each other, which is
where the “asymmetric” part comes in.

What is Hashing?
› Hashing generates a unique signature of fixed length for a data set

or message. Each specific message has its unique hash, making
minor changes to the information easily trackable. Data encrypted
with hashing cannot be deciphered or reversed back into its original
form. That’s why hashing is used only as a method of verifying data.
› Many internet security experts don’t even consider hashing an actual

encryption method, but the line is blurry enough to let the
classification stand. The bottom line, it’s an effective way of showing
that no one has tampered with the information.

Best Encryption Algorithms
› AES. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the trusted
standard algorithm used by the United States government, as well as
other organizations. Although extremely efficient in the 128-bit form,
AES also uses 192- and 256-bit keys for very demanding encryption
purposes. AES is widely considered invulnerable to all attacks except
for brute force. Regardless, many internet security experts believe
AES will eventually be regarded as the go-to standard for encrypting
data in the private sector.
› Triple DES. Triple DES is the successor to the original Data

Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm, created in response to hackers
who figured out how to breach DES. It’s symmetric encryption that
was once the most widely used symmetric algorithm in the industry,
though it’s being gradually phased out. TripleDES applies the DES
algorithm three times to every data block and is commonly used to
encrypt UNIX passwords and ATM PINs.
› Blowfish. Blowfish is another algorithm that was designed to

replace DES. This symmetric tool breaks messages into 64-bit blocks
and encrypts them individually. Blowfish has established a reputation
for speed, flexibility, and is unbreakable. It’s in the public domain, so
that makes it free, adding even more to its appeal. Blowfish is
commonly found on e-commerce platforms, securing payments, and
in password management tools.
› Twofish. Twofish is Blowfish’s successor. It’s license-free,

symmetric encryption that deciphers 128-bit data blocks.
Additionally, Twofish always encrypts data in 16 rounds, no matter
what the key size. Twofish is perfect for both software and hardware
environments and is considered one of the fastest of its type. Many
of today’s file and folder encryption software solutions use this
method.
› Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA). Rivest-Shamir-Adleman is a

public-key asymmetric encryption algorithm that works off the
factorization of the product of two large prime numbers and the
standard for encrypting information transmitted via the internet.
Only a user with knowledge of these two numbers can decode the
message successfully. Digital signatures commonly use RSA, but the
algorithm slows down when it encrypts large volumes of data. RSA
encryption is robust and reliable because it creates a massive bunch
of gibberish that frustrates would-be hackers, causing them to
expend a lot of time and energy to crack into systems.

THANK YOU!
SOURCE : https://www.simplilearn.com/data-encryption-methods-article
By Simplilearn, Last updated on Sep 15, 2021
SOURCE : https://www.datprof.com/solutions/get-gdpr-pci-and-hipaa-compliant/
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What Is Data Encryption:

In order to preserve the integrity of our data, encryption is a vital

Noted antivirus and endpoint security experts at Kaspersky define

They go on to say that encryption is considered the basic building

Considering the elevated risk of cybercrime today, every person and