In which encryption technique only one key is used by sender and receiver?

The encryption techniques that are acceptable in today’s standards are effective against potential attacks. Through transforming data into ciphertext, information becomes very difficult and time-consuming to hack. Decrypting data also requires the decryption key that is extremely hard to obtain without authorized access, making encryption one of the best ways to protect sensitive data.

End-to-end encryption

Considered the gold standard of securing communication, end-to-end encryption is a method that prevents unwanted parties from accessing data while it is en route to the recipient. Here, encryption happens at a device level, such that only the device of the intended recipient could decrypt data. Files and messages are encrypted before they leave the sender and are not decrypted until they reach the destination. This is made possible by a public-private pair through asymmetric cryptography.

What happens if encryption is done wrong?

You may be asking: why do organizations get hacked even if their data is encrypted? In a lot of instances, encryption is done wrong. Common causes are having low levels of encryption, using the wrong algorithms, and improper key management.

When encryption is not done properly, your data could be subject to the same risks as unencrypted data, potentially leading to breaches like identity theft, data losses, and financial losses. Your organization could also be fined for incompliance with privacy standards.

This is exactly what happened with the Colonial Pipeline hacking incident last May wherein the pipeline faced a ransomware attack on its IT system. It is likely that this incident started from a phishing attack. The pipeline system decided to shut down their systems to isolate and mitigate the threat, causing fuel flows on the pipeline to temporarily stop.

Later, the company announced that the cyberattack involved ransomware. This hacking incident led the company to face at least two lawsuits: one of which is a lack of a proper cybersecurity program for ransomware. As such, energy operators need to follow industry-specific standards for cybersecurity best practices. In the wake of such a devastating hacking incident, the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) re-certified GlobalSign’s Authorized Certificate Authority (ACA) accreditation.

GlobalSign also joined the NAESB Cybersecurity Sub-committee (CSS) to help shape cybersecurity standards that helped develop the Wholesale Electric Quadrant (WEQ) Standards and ACA accreditation requirements.

“GlobalSign is ISO New England's preferred Certificate Authority for Digital Certificates that must meet the stringent security standards of the Energy industry. The Company has proven to be of the highest integrity with secure, reliable processes and superior customer service.”

Jamshid Afnan,Vice President of Information Services, New England

GlobalSign’s encryption products

Various organizations provide encryption solutions that individuals and businesses can use to protect themselves against unwanted access. At GlobalSign, we offer different products that are suitable for what your business needs.

• Secure Email Certificate. These certificates can be used to digitally sign and encrypt your emails, ensuring the privacy of sensitive information, authenticity of sender, and integrity of contents.

• SSL Certificate. (Now known as TLS Certificate) This type of digital certificate authenticates the website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection. GlobalSign ensures that your public servers and sites are in line with industry best practices.

• Digital Signatures. This is the solution you need for digitally signing and encrypting documents. Built for the cloud with flexible integration options so users can sign documents at their convenience. It also meets all major industry regulatory requirements, as well as compliance with eIDAS regulations.

• GMO Sign. This is an all-in-one document signing solution that is simple and easy to use. Sign documents on the fly, send requests for signatures, and manage your documents securely all in one platform.

Learn more about our other products here.

Protect yourself and your business by correctly encrypting your data, considering proper key management, and using the best encryption standards. We provide various solutions that can address to your different business needs. Speak with us today!

Definition: Cryptography is associated with the process of converting ordinary plain text into unintelligible text and vice-versa. It is a method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form so that only those for whom it is intended can read and process it. Cryptography not only protects data from theft or alteration, but can also be used for user authentication.

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Description: Earlier cryptography was effectively synonymous with encryption but nowadays cryptography is mainly based on mathematical theory and computer science practice.

Modern cryptography concerns with:

Confidentiality - Information cannot be understood by anyone

Integrity - Information cannot be altered.

Non-repudiation - Sender cannot deny his/her intentions in the transmission of the information at a later stage

Authentication - Sender and receiver can confirm each

Cryptography is used in many applications like banking transactions cards, computer passwords, and e- commerce transactions.

Three types of cryptographic techniques used in general.

1. Symmetric-key cryptography

2. Hash functions.

3. Public-key cryptography

Symmetric-key Cryptography: Both the sender and receiver share a single key. The sender uses this key to encrypt plaintext and send the cipher text to the receiver. On the other side the receiver applies the same key to decrypt the message and recover the plain text.

Public-Key Cryptography: This is the most revolutionary concept in the last 300-400 years. In Public-Key Cryptography two related keys (public and private key) are used. Public key may be freely distributed, while its paired private key, remains a secret. The public key is used for encryption and for decryption private key is used.

Hash Functions: No key is used in this algorithm. A fixed-length hash value is computed as per the plain text that makes it impossible for the contents of the plain text to be recovered. Hash functions are also used by many operating systems to encrypt passwords.

At PreVeil we often find ourselves explaining to our customers the concepts of how public and private keys work. We thought it would be helpful to discuss what these keys are, what they aren’t, and how they work.

The blog below provides a general overview on public and private key pairs rather than an architectural overview of PreVeil. For a detailed understanding of PreVeil’s public-private key architecture, please check out our architectural whitepaper.

How public and private key encryption works

Public and private keys form the basis for public key cryptography , also known as asymmetric cryptography. In public key cryptography, every public key matches to only one private key. Together, they are used to encrypt and decrypt messages. If you encode a message using a person’s public key, they can only decode it using their matching private key.

Public and private keys: an example

Bob wants to send Alice an encrypted email. To do this, Bob takes Alice’s public key and encrypts his message to her. Then, when Alice receives the message, she takes the private key that is known only to her in order to decrypt the message from Bob.

Although attackers might try to compromise the server and read the message, they will be unable to because they lack the private key to decrypt the message. Only Alice will be able to decrypt the message as she is the only one with the private key. And, when Alice wants to reply, she simply repeats the process, encrypting her message to Bob using Bob’s public key.

More on how public and private keys are used:
Whitepaper: PreVeil Security and Design
Article: End-to-end encryption

The difference between public and private keys

Public keys have been described by some as being like a business’ address on the web – it’s public and anyone can look it up and share it widely. In asymmetric encryption, public keys can be shared with everyone in the system. Once the sender has the public key, he uses it to encrypt his message.

Each public key comes paired with a unique private key. Think of a private key as akin to the key to the front door of a business where only you have a copy. This defines one of the main differences between the two types of keys. The private key ensures only you can get through the front door. In the case of encrypted messages, you use this private key to decrypt messages

Together, these keys help to ensure the security of the exchanged data. A message encrypted with the public key cannot be decrypted without using the corresponding private key.

Diffie-Helman key exchange

The Diffie Hellman key exchange demonstrates an example of how users can securely exchange cryptographic keys over a public channel.

In the past, secure encrypted communication required that the individuals first exchange keys by a secure means such as paper key lists transported by a trusted courier. The Diffie–Hellman key exchange method allows two parties that have no prior knowledge of each other to jointly establish a shared secret key over an insecure channel.

PreVeil uses the Diffie Hellman key exchange to enable Web PreVeil. Web PreVeil is a browser based end-to-end encrypted email service that allows users to easily access their secure email account on the web without any software download or any passwords to remember.

Here’s a video to explain how this works:

Business benefits of public private key encryption

By using a public and private key for encryption and decryption, recipients can be confident that the data is what the sender says it is. The recipient is assured of the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of the data.

Confidentiality is ensured because the content that is secured with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key. This ensures that only the intended recipient can ever review the contents

Integrity is ensured because part of the decryption process requires checking that the received message matches the sent message. This ensures that the message has not been changed in between.

Authenticity is ensured because each message sent by Alice to Bob is also signed by Alice’s private key. The only way to decrypt Alice’s private key is with her public key, which Bob can access. By signing the message with her private key, Alice ensures the authenticity of the message and shows that it really did come from her.

Conclusion

Public and private key pairs form the basis for very strong encryption and data security. If you are interested in reading more about public and private keys, take a look at the following articles:

Which encryption technique is one key is used by sender and receiver Mcq?

Which type of encryption uses only one key?

Which encryption method is used when the sender and receiver use an instance of the same key for encryption and decryption purposes?

Which methods of encryption uses the same secret key for both the sender and the recipient?