People normally considered the idea of symmetric encryption difficult to understand. However, the reality is completely the opposite. The idea of encryption is not only easy to understand but also easy to implement. Encryption is a numerical model that encrypts the data. It encrypts information in a way that only the intended receiver can read it. Symmetric encryption has found its uses in different fields including online banking, website security, and shopping. Seeing its importance and to solve some of your queries, we will here discuss the important aspects of symmetric encryption.
What is Symmetric Encryption?
Like other types of encryptions, symmetric encryption also uses an identical key to encrypt or decrypt the information. Here, the sender and receiver use the same key to access or read the data. It is important for both to keep the key secret for the privacy of the information. As a result, it differentiates symmetric encryption from asymmetric one which uses two keys. First is the public key to encrypt the information and a private key to decrypt data.
The use of symmetric encryption in encoding data through computers is a relatively new thing. However, the idea of symmetric cryptography is centuries old. For example, Roman General Julius Caesar also used encryption to communicate with his generals secretly. There are various other examples of symmetric encryption use in the past. For example, the use of Vigenère Cipher in the 15th century AD.
How Symmetrical Encryption Works
Symmetrical Encryption works in three simple steps:
- A sender uses an encryption key to encrypt the message.
- This message is known as the ciphertext, which is inaccessible to others. Therefore, only the sender or receiver can read it.
- The receiver of this message uses the selected decryption key to convert this message back to a readable form.
This information remains only between the sender and the receiver. Any outsider can’t access the information. Due to this reason, and other security features, it is also called secret key encryption. Let’s understand symmetrical encryption with an easy example.
Let’s try to understand the encryption process with an example of a Caesar cipher. Here, a cipher is an order of steps that a person uses to change the available data in text form into unreadable text. In the case of a basic shift cipher, one can easily encrypt or decrypt the message by shifting the text up to a specific number of spaces along the alphabets.
For example, if we shift the alphabet “A” four spaces to the right, it becomes E. Similarly, if we write “Good Evening” and shift each letter four spaces to the right, the message will become “Kssh Izirmrk”. Here, the key is the number of steps you have shifted a letter to the right. That, in our example, are four spaces. No one is aware of this key, except the sender or the receiver. Even, if an unknown person gets access to the message, he can’t read it. The receiver can easily decrypt the message by using this key.
Advantages of the Encryption Process
There are two basic benefits of using the encryption process to send data. First, it uses a single key to encode and read the data. It makes the encryption process simple to use. 2nd, It offers privacy and safety for data transmission with a single key. Further, it can work on its own for several uses. For example, when data need to be shared openly between two parties.
Symmetric Encryption Algorithms
To do data encryption two types of algorithms are important. Without knowing them, the study of symmetric encryption remains incomplete. Therefore, their brief details are provided below:
- Block Algorithms: In this type of algorithm, encryption of data takes place in blocks using the specific key.
- Streamed Algorithms: In this type of algorithms, encryption of data takes place bit by bit. The process of streamed algorithm is easier to implement compared to block one.
DES and AES are two of the examples of encryption algorithms. A brief description is given below:
DES:
DES is a kind of block algorithm that encrypts the data in chunks. The standard encryption blocks include 64-bit, 128, and 192-bit keys. DES is the first symmetric encryption algorithm. However, with time, it has become outdated and used less frequently now.
AES:
Today, the widely used algorithm is AES. It has more advanced features compared to DES. Therefore, it is used commonly in internet applications. Similar to DES, it is a block algorithm. The standard encryption blocks include 128-bit, 192-bit, and 256-bit keys. Some other algorithms in this regard include:
- IDEA
- Blowfish
- RC4
- RC5
- RC6
In the list, all algorithms are block ones, except the RC4 which is a streamed one.
Symmetric Encryption’s Uses
Symmetric encryption, in comparison to asymmetric one, is an older method of GeoTrust SSL encryption. However, it is more popular due to two reasons. Therefore, it offers higher efficiency and faster processing. Meanwhile, symmetric encryption is commonly used in bulk encryption to encode a large amount of information. Some other applications of symmetric encryption include:
- The encryption process plays a crucial role in payment applications. For example, its use is common in card transactions.
- To check the identity of the information sender, and to verify his claims.
- For hashtag, as well as the random creation of numbers.
- Data encryption is necessary for HTTPS developments. Besides this, it is also used in website security.
- PCI compliance is necessary for the banking sector. Symmetric encryption plays a central role in PCI compliance.
Final Words
Symmetric encryption has various applications including in banking to website security. It takes help from an identical key to encode and decrypt the information. As this encryption process requires only a single key; it is easier to use. For the smooth working of symmetric encryption, it is necessary that the sender and recipient are aware of the key and also keep it private. In case, other people are aware of the key, they can easily decrypt the information and read it, which none of you would like to.