Staying online, your system is both fragile and vulnerable to hacks and attacks. Because we use tons of services online, each of which has access to our device, we expose our system to threat. However, the truth is that having knowledge of simple encryption methods or even the cheapest SSL certificates could have avoided the mishap.
Though you might consider that there’s nothing much to hide or that your system is fully protected, there always lie holes that go unnoticed. If went into the wrong hands, the data can be misused, committing acts of forgery.
This is where we recommend data encryption. If you are not sure what this means, don’t worry. This article is specifically designed to help you understand the concept of data encryption followed by the ways with which you can encrypt all your data.
What is the meaning of data encryption?
Technically, encryption refers to the conversion of raw data into an encoded format. Such a conversion prohibits the usage of data for nefarious activities. In the computing world, encryption is by far the best way to ensure the privacy and security of data. Preferably because encrypted data can only be understood after it has been righteously decrypted.
What that means is that not everyone can decrypt an encoded piece of information. One must have a private key to unlock the same and get access to the content of the data. Hence, encrypting your online data will preserve the sanctity of the same.
To tell you more, the encrypted data is known as ciphertext whereas the decoded data is referred to as plain text.
Types of Encryption
a) Asymmetric encryption
Asymmetric as the name suggests is one of the types of encryption that have two different keys. One of the keys (public key) is used to encrypt data. On the other hand, a private key is used to decrypt data. A simple example here is of e-mails.
If X wants to send a mail to Y, it uses the email (public key) address. To decipher or read the email, Y must have the password of the account (private key).
b) Symmetric encryption
This type of encryption takes into account the same key for both encryptions as well as the decryption of the data. Either the keys are the same or often, there occurs a slight difference between the two (one that is easily understood).
Techniques to encrypt all your data
There are multiple ways with which you can encrypt your data. The preferred method is through the usage of encryption programs such as SSL, Double authentication, etc.
● Mail encryption techniques
Encryption of your mails is largely dependent on the platform or the email client that you use to access your emails. While Google stands to be the most popular client, when it comes to encryption of the emails, it is recommended to opt for business email clients such as Microsoft Outlook, Dynamics 365, etc.
We recommend you to go for Outlook, given the fact that it has a built-in feature for email encryption. As and when you click to open an email in Outlook, you will find an option that says Encrypt. Clicking on the same, the email gets virtually destroyed. After you have read the mail, nobody else has access to the same. This makes sure that the email doesn’t go in the wrong hands or to be precise, is totally secured.
● Encryption of internet traffic
To secure your emails appeared quick and simple. However, the same cannot be said for your internet traffic. For one, the traffic is dynamic and with dozens of tabs active at the same time, you need something better and robust than just an encryption button.
The best and the simplest encryption method for securing internet traffic is through SSL/TLS. With the SSL layer, you have the ease to generate a key along with your private key which is then kept in the server of your internet service provider. You can get the cheapest SSL certificates from trusted sources like ClickSSL.
Only when the recipient has the generated key, can he/she establish communication with you/your device. Such an encryption method is best when you need to draw a connection between an organization or an institution.
● Netflow encryption techniques
Netflow is nothing but an SSL layer (secure socket layer) that facilitates communication between two networks. That is to say when data needs to be transferred from one network to another, Netflow is used. To secure your Netflow connection and protect all of the data that is transmitted from one network to another via Netflow, you must first:
a) Own administrative privilege to access and modify the tool.
b) Next, you need to activate the Usewan application within the device that will be used to strike a connection for data transmission between the networked devices.
What’s interesting here is that the process used by the WAN application is the same as that of the SSL encryption. That is to start a conversation between the machines, you must provide an IP address to the host machine. Remember that sharing of this address must be done securely to avoid any mishap.
● Email encryption methods
Simply using a secured email client doesn’t ensure that your emails are 100% protected. In addition to the above, we recommend you opt for SMTP, POP, IMAP, etc to strengthen the security and privacy of your business communication.
No matter whether you are a small-scale enterprise or a huge organization, emails are your main point of contact with other businesses. Leniency here can cost you high. This is where we advise you to take one step ahead and integrate data encryption techniques for your emails.
● PDF encryption
Not only your emails or the browser are vulnerable to hacks. What this means is that the documents that you have stored in your mobile device are also fragile and if the security of the system is compromised, you might lose all your data, putting it all at risk. Hence the need for encrypting your PDF files.
While there are various simple encryption methods, the easiest way to encrypt your PDF file is through the acrobat reader. While different tools give you the ease to add a password to the PDF file, it is best to opt for an acrobat reader and leverage its built-in feature for PDF encryption.
● Encrypt your device data
It isn’t only the PDF files that consume space on your device. There are excel files, documents, images, and a lot more. Hence, the need for encryption of the entire data on your device.
Opt for full device encryption to shield everything that is stored on your device. FDE or full device encryption is one way to protect and secure all of your device data. This method uses a PIN or a password to unlock the device to access the data. Both Windows and Mac support the full device encryption feature. Where Windows have a Bitlocker that simplifies that process of encryption, Mac has something called FileVault.
● Encryption of cloud data
While your device has physical data, organizations today resort to cloud storage. No matter how effective your cloud service provider is and how secure their servers are, being safe from your end only adds to the security.
Not to forget that while the cloud service providers do not allow third-party organizations to gain access to your data, they have a stronghold over it. To prevent such a thing from happening, you can either opt for an end to end encrypted storage service or a boxcryptor. Either way, you secure your cloud data, prohibiting access.
Conclusion
Data encryption is a broad concept and as much as it seems to be fancified, it is the need of the hour. The fact that data is gaining importance and that a single piece of it can say a lot about users, businesses leave no stone unturned to get access to the details and use it for their good. It is best to encrypt all of your data and secure your digital presence. So, learn about encryption techniques in e-commerce, cloud, file sharing and other aspects of work and life. Also, deploy the required tools and techniques to secure your business. GoAnywhere has a cloud file transfer solution that automates, encrypts, and streamlines cloud file sharing. For more details go to https://www.goanywhere.com/managed-file-transfer/file-server/sftp-server
