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'''Encryption''' is the process of changing information into a secret [[code]] using a algorithm (cipher).<ref>http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/encryption.html</ref> It is usually carried out today by [[computer]]s, although in the past it was traditionally carried out by analog machines or by specialists known as [[cryptographer]]s.
'''Encryption''' is the process of changing information into a secret [[code]] using an algorithm (cipher).<ref>http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/encryption.html</ref> It is usually carried out today by [[computer]]s, although in the past it was traditionally carried out by analog machines or by specialists known as [[cryptographer]]s.
==History==
==History==
===Harmful uses===
===Harmful uses===
Like any tool, encryption can be used for good or evil. Encryption is sometimes used by [[hacker]]s and other anti-government types to conceal their activities from the federal government. For example, the leftist [[GNU]] organization provides a program called "[[Pretty Good Privacy]]" (PGP) for encrypting [[e-mail]]; this can have legitimate uses, but is also sometimes used for concealing underhanded communication.
Like any tool, encryption can be used for good or evil. Encryption is sometimes used by [[hacker]]s and other anti-government types to conceal their activities from the federal government. For example, the leftist [[GNU]] organization provides a program called "[[Pretty Good Privacy]]" (PGP) for encrypting [[e-mail]]; this can have legitimate uses, but is also sometimes used for concealing underhanded communication.
Encryption is also used by some [[malware]], to conceal the malicious payload and avoid security scanners. [[Ransomware]] takes a different approach, by encrypting personal or corporate files on infected computers, then demanding a ransom payment before (possibly) disclosing the decryption key.
Encryption is also used by some [[malware]], to conceal the malicious payload and avoid security scanners. [[Ransomware]] takes a different approach, by encrypting personal or corporate files on infected computers, then demanding a ransom payment before (possibly) disclosing the decryption key.
==Common algorithms==
===Triple DES===
Triple DES or 3DES is a successor of the "Data Encryption Standard" (DES) algorithm. DES was a symmetric-key cryptography option, which became popular in the 1970s. However, with the advancement of computing power, it became too weak to use. Triple DES, which was released in 1998, uses the same basic algorithm. However, it runs the encryption procedure on each block three times, each time with a different key. Triple DES uses a 64-bit key, but part of that was used for key validation, so functionally it only offered a 56-bit key. This essentially gives it a 168-bit key, but a meet-in-the-middle vulnerability reduces the equivalent protection to a 112-bit key.<ref name="cleverism.com">https://www.cleverism.com/5-common-encryption-algorithms-and-the-unbreakables-of-the-future/</ref><ref name="storagecraft.com">https://blog.storagecraft.com/5-common-encryption-algorithms/</ref>
===RSA===
RSA was developed by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman in the 1970s. Named after its creators, RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is a [[public-key encryption]] (also known as asymmetric encryption) algorithm which is used today for many applications. SSH authentication, SSL encryption, and many other systems use this algorithm. RSA uses a key length of 1024-bits or 2048-bits. 1024-bits is considered insufficient by some, especially with the advancements in [[quantum computing]]. The industry and US government recommend using more than 1024-bit keys.<ref name="cleverism.com"/><ref name="storagecraft.com"/>
===Blowfish===
Created in 1993 by Bruce Schneier as a replacement for DES, Blowfish is a general-purpose block-cipher symmetric encryption algorithm. This system uses 64-bit blocks of data, with keys ranging from 32-bits to 448-bits. It is a very durable and flexible algorithm, which is used in many ways, from commerce software to drive-level encryption systems.<ref name="cleverism.com"/><ref name="storagecraft.com"/><ref>https://www.schneier.com/academic/blowfish/</ref><ref>https://www.commonlounge.com/discussion/d95616beecc148daaa23f35178691c35</ref>
===Twofish===
Also created by Bruce Schneier, Twofish is another block-cipher symmetric encryption algorithm. It uses 128-bit blocks, and keys up to 256-bits. Each block is encrypted based on the output of the previous block, which adds to the difficulty of brute-forcing data which has been encrypted using this algorithm.<ref name="cleverism.com"/><ref name="storagecraft.com"/>
===AES===
The "[[Advanced Encryption Standard]]," originally named "Rijndael," was released in 1998 by Vincent Rijmen and Joan Daemen. It became the new U.S. encryption standard in 2002. AES is a symmetric key cryptography algorithm which encrypts 128-bit blocks of data using 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit keys. This algorithm is relatively fast and easy to use, and relatively durrible. However, it can be broken, especially when short keys are used. In order to make brute-forcing this encryption more difficult, it will typically run at least ten rounds of encryption on each block.<ref name="cleverism.com"/><ref name="storagecraft.com"/><ref>https://aesencryption.net/</ref><ref>https://www.tutorialspoint.com/cryptography/advanced_encryption_standard.htm</ref>
===IDEA===
The International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA) is another symmetric encryption algorithm, which was released by Xuejia Lai and James Massey in 1991. This system uses 64-bit blocks and 128-bit keys. Unlike its predecessors, this algorithm encrypts the data multiple times, but it uses "half-rounds" to accomplish this. The key is broken up into 16-bit sub-keys, and these are used for each pass rather than the full key.<ref name="cleverism.com"/><ref name="storagecraft.com"/>
==See also==
==See also==