Data Encryption Methods: Strengthening Enterprise Security

Highlights:

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is currently the most popular symmetric encryption algorithm.
Twofish is a symmetric encryption technique that is an improved version of Blowfish and encrypts data blocks with a 128-bit size.

Google uses encryption extensively in all of its services and products. Gmail encrypts email transmissions using Transport Layer Security (TLS). Microsoft services like Outlook.com, OneDrive, and Office 365 employ encryption to protect user data.

According to Statista, in 2022, the technology and software industry was the heaviest adopter of encryption solutions, with 72% of respondents indicating that their enterprise was employing an enterprise-wide encryption solution.

The adoption of data encryption methods reflects the increasing recognition of the importance of protecting sensitive information and maintaining user data privacy. It gives users higher security and control over their data, which is crucial in today’s digital landscape.

Before going into depth, let’s discuss what exactly cloud-based encryption is.

What Is Cloud-Based Encryption?

In this highly security-compromised world, data must be encoded or otherwise changed before being transmitted to or stored in the cloud.

In the event of a breach, cloud encryption is a straightforward but efficient way to prevent unauthorized access to crucial cloud data. Even if the data is stolen, thieves cannot access the information in the encrypted files.

Cloud storage providers encrypt data and give users access to the encryption keys. When necessary, these keys are used to decrypt data securely. The hidden data is converted back into readable data during decryption.

Encryption technology is changing the data security for the cloud by enhancing compliance, securing sensitive data on a large scale, and employing an intuitive framework for managing encryption keys. It facilitates the automatic creation, rotation, and revocation of keys.

Essentially, encrypted data can be classified into two main types, which are symmetric and asymmetric.

Types of Data Encryption

Today, two widely adopted encryption types exist, which are symmetric and asymmetric encryption, distinguished by the usage of a shared key for encryption and decryption.

Let’s explore them enough with the help of their dissimilarities:

Symmetric	Asymmetric
Data encryption employs a single symmetric key for both the encryption and decryption processes.	Asymmetric encryption uses separate keys for encryption and decryption, with one public and one private.
Because symmetric keys use the same key to encrypt and decrypt data, they are less secure.	Since asymmetric keys use different keys to encrypt and decrypt data, they are significantly more secure than symmetric ones.
Symmetric encryption is faster and more efficient than asymmetric encryption due to its single-key usage.	Due to the extra computational overhead involved, asymmetric encryption is slower and less efficient than symmetric encryption.
Scaling to large numbers of users or devices becomes challenging with symmetric encryption, as it necessitates using the same key for both encryption and decryption.	The scalability of asymmetric encryption is evident by providing unique public/private key pairs for each user.
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the prevailing symmetric encryption algorithm widely used today.	The RSA algorithm is a widely used example of asymmetric encryption.

Is It Possible to Hack Encrypted Data?

Encryption functions like a lock and key, ensuring only authorized parties can access data. For instance, email encryption permits the secure transmission of encrypted text or files through various channels.

But unfortunately, it is possible to hack encrypted data. For example, when cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities or obtain encryption keys, your enterprise data can be compromised. Nonetheless, hacking encrypted data is exceedingly challenging, demanding substantial technical expertise and time.

Despite all these, encryption remains a robust and effective security measure.

Unveiling Data Encryption Methods

The kind of keys used, the length of the encryption key, and the size of the encrypted data blocks determine the various encryption techniques. Here are a few best encryption techniques for small businesses that you can use to protect sensitive data:

1. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

AES is widely used for file encryption, Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS), mobile app encryption, and Wi-Fi security. In fact, AES is currently being used by your web browser to encrypt your connection to this website.

The most popular method of data encryption used worldwide is the symmetric encryption algorithm known as the Advanced Encryption Standard.

By using AES, which encrypts 128-bit data blocks at a time, you can:

Encryption of files and applications
Wi-Fi security
Virtual Private Networks
SSL/TLS protocols

2. TDES, or Triple Data Encryption Standard

Data blocks are encrypted using a 56-bit key in this more sophisticated variation of the Data Encryption Standard (DES) technique.

It was created to increase the security of DES by utilizing multiple encryption rounds. As a result, TDES applies DES three times to each block of data.

Triple DES can be used to encrypt a variety of technologies, including:

Computers and laptops
Mobile devices (smartphones, tablets)
Servers and data centers
Communication networks (WAN, LAN)
IoT devices (Internet of Things)
Cloud-based applications
Databases and storage systems

Triple DES is also used by widely used applications like Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Office.

3. Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA)

An asymmetric data encryption algorithm called Rivest Shamir Adleman is based on the factorization of the product of two huge prime numbers.

This encryption method effectively protects private data within an organization because it is extremely challenging for hackers to decipher the original prime numbers.

RSA is typically used for:

More compact documentation
Files
Messaging
Payments

4. Blowfish

Blowfish are renowned for their speed, adaptable and unbreakable nature. The Data Encryption Standard (DES) was intended to be replaced by this symmetric encryption algorithm.

The 64-bit block sizes used by the blowfish encryption technique are individually encrypted.

Blowfish works well for securing:

Email encryption tools
Password management systems
E-commerce platforms transaction

5. Twofish

Twofish is a symmetric data encryption method, a more advanced version of Blowfish, and encrypts blocks of data with a 128-bit size.

Regardless of the size of the encryption key, Twofish always encrypts data in 16 rounds. Also, it can:

Used for hardware and software and is much faster.
Used for file and folder encryption.

Conclusion

Data encryption methods and their usage has increased significantly as people and businesses become more aware of the dangers of unauthorized access, data breaches, and privacy violations.

In summary, data encryption is a crucial component of contemporary cybersecurity. It gives people and organizations the power to safeguard their data, uphold their privacy, create secure digital environments, and safeguard the digital realm.

We can navigate the digital environment more efficiently by implementing data encryption best practices and technologies because we know that our data is protected from prying eyes and potential threats.

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