Encryption and its type- Symmetric and Asymmetric
What is Encryption?
Wikipedia says: “In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as cipher-text. Only authorized parties can decipher a ciphertext back to plaintext and access the original information.”
Symmetric Encryptions:
Encryption using a single key for encrypting and decrypting. The sender and receiver use the same private key to encrypt and decrypt the data.
Asymmetric Encryption:
Also known as Public Key Cryptography is a form of Encryption where keys come in pairs. What one key encrypts, only the other can decrypt.
The sender of the message encrypts data with the public key of the receiver so that only the authenticated receiver who has a private key can decrypt the data, Once data is encrypted via the receiver’s public key even the sender could not decrypt it.
Where to use Symmetric Encryption?
Due to the better performance and faster speed of symmetric encryption compared to asymmetric, symmetric cryptography is typically used for encrypting large amounts of data, for example
- Database Encryption — In the case of a database, the secret key might only be available to the database itself to encrypt or decrypt.
- Validating Source of request.
Where to use Asymmetric Encryption?
Due to higher security asymmetric encryption is used in a system where authentication and confidentiality is required for example
- Chat Application — a public key can be used to encrypt a message and a private key can be used to decrypt it.
- Transaction — for all types of transactions including bitcoins asymmetric encryption algorithms are used.
