What is data encryption: features and how does it work?

Data encryption is a fundamental security practice to protect digital information and ensure its integrity and privacy.

Data encryption: definition

Data encryption is the process of transforming readable information (plaintext) into an encoded format (cipher text) that can only be read by those in possession of a specific decryption key. This process ensures that data is inaccessible to unauthorised persons, thus protecting the confidentiality and integrity of the information. Its importance lies in several key aspects that ensure data integrity, availability and confidentiality:

• Privacy protection: Data encryption ensures that sensitive information such as personal, financial and health data remains private and secure. By converting plaintext to ciphertext, only authorised persons with the decryption key can access the information.
• Communications security: In digital communications, such as emails, instant messages and online transactions, encryption protects against interception and eavesdropping. By encrypting transmitted data, it ensures that any attempt to intercept the communication results in information that is unreadable to attackers.
• Compliance: Many regulations and laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, require the use of encryption to protect personal data. Compliance with these regulations not only avoids legal sanctions, but also demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to protecting its customers‘ and users’ information.
• Cyber-attack and fraud prevention: Data encryption helps prevent unauthorised access and misuse of information, preventing the risk of fraud and cyber-attacks. Attackers attempting to access encrypted data will face a significant barrier, hindering their efforts and protecting critical information.
• Intellectual property protection: In the business environment, data encryption protects intellectual property such as trade secrets, patents and confidential documents. This is essential to maintain competitive advantage and prevent the leakage of valuable information.
• Customer trust: The use of database encryption also contributes to building trust among customers and users. Knowing that an organisation takes steps to protect their personal information increases customer trust and loyalty, which can translate into long-term business benefits.

Main challenges of data encryption

Despite its benefits, data encryption presents challenges:

• Key management. The generation, distribution and secure storage of encryption keys are critical and complex.
• Rendimiento. El cifrado puede afectar el rendimiento de los sistemas, especialmente en el caso de cifrado asimétrico.
• Compatibility. It is necessary to ensure that systems and applications are compatible with the encryption methods used.

How data encryption works

The data encryption process is performed by means of mathematical algorithms and the use of encryption keys. Database encryption algorithms are mathematical formulae that transform plaintext into ciphertext. The encryption process consists of the following steps:

1. Key generation. An encryption key is generated which will be used to transform the plaintext into ciphertext.
2. Encryption. The encryption algorithm uses the key to convert plaintext into ciphertext.
3. Transmission or storage. Ciphertext is transmitted or stored securely.
4. Deciphered. The authorised receiver uses the corresponding key to convert the ciphertext back into plaintext.

Most effective techniques for data encryption

Keys are essential for data encryption and decryption. There are two main types of encryption:

• Symmetric Encryption: uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data.
• Asymmetric Encryption: uses a public and a private key pair. The public key encrypts the data, and only the corresponding private key can decrypt it.

Each of these is explained in more detail below.

Symmetric encryption methods

Symmetric encryption is an encryption method that uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. It is known for its speed and efficiency, making it ideal for large volumes of data. Some of the most common methods include:

• AES (Estándar de cifrado avanzado). It is one of the most secure and widely used algorithms. It offers different key sizes (128, 192 and 256 bits) and is resistant to cryptographic attacks.
• DES (Data Encryption Standard). Although older and less secure than AES, it is still used in some applications. It uses a 56-bit key.
• 3DES (Triple DES). It improves the security of DES by applying the algorithm three times with two or three different keys.

Symmetric encryption is efficient, but secure key distribution is a challenge, as both parties must have access to the same key without compromising its security.

Asymmetric encryption methods

Asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The public key is used to encrypt the data, while the corresponding private key is used to decrypt it. This method is more secure for data transmission, as the private key is never shared.

• RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman). It is one of the best known and most widely used asymmetric encryption algorithms. It provides high security and is used in applications such as digital signatures and SSL/TLS certificates.
• ECC (criptografía de curva elíptica). It uses elliptic curves to provide a high level of security with smaller keys, making it more efficient in terms of performance and resource usage.

Asymmetric encryption is ideal for secure data transmission, although it is slower than symmetric encryption due to its mathematical complexity. If you want to keep up to date in this sector, we encourage you to access our content→ The 5 cybersecurity trends you need to know. Now that you know the examples of data encryption, it’s time to discover its key benefits.

Key benefits of data encryption

Key benefits of database encryption include the following:

Data protection on different devices

Data encryption is an essential measure for protecting data on a variety of devices, including mobile phones, computers and servers. By converting information into a format unreadable to anyone without the decryption key, encryption ensures that sensitive data remains secure, even if the device is lost or stolen. This is especially relevant in a world where cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated.

Maintaining data integrity

Encrypting data ensures that the information is not altered during storage or transmission. This is crucial to prevent malicious manipulation and to ensure that data remains accurate and reliable. In the context of data transmission, encryption protects information against unauthorised interception and modification. This is especially important in public or unsecured networks, where data may be vulnerable to attack. In addition, encryption helps to detect any tampering with the data, as any changes to the encrypted information will result in unreadable data when decrypted without the correct key.

Data migration to cloud storage

Data encryption is essential for secure data migration to cloud storage. Encrypting information before transferring it to the cloud ensures that data remains protected from unauthorized access during migration. This is especially important because data can be vulnerable to interception and cyberattacks while moving over public or private networks.
In addition, cloud database encryption ensures that only authorized individuals can access the stored information, thus protecting the privacy and confidentiality of sensitive data. This is crucial to comply with data protection regulations, such as the GDPR in Europe, which requires appropriate security measures.

Kartos XTI Watchbots, the Cyber Intelligence and Cybersecurity platform developed by Enthec, allows your organization to proactively, continuously, and in real-time control key aspects for correct data protection and compliance.
Contact us to know how Kartos can help you protect your data.