What Is an Encryption Key?

With much of your information already out in the world digitally, the last thing you want to happen is for it to be compromised. Given that your identity, financial data, health information, and personal communications are at stake, it’s hard to fall victim to data breaches. Ensuring robust encryption and security measures can help safeguard this sensitive information from unauthorized access and exploitation.

This is where encryption keys play a crucial role. But what exactly are encryption keys? How do they work and protect an individual’s information from unauthorized access and exploitation? This article will explore the importance of encryption keys in the digital age.

What is encryption key?

An encryption key is a piece of information used in cryptographic algorithms to encode and decode data. It is often used to hide sensitive data to prevent unauthorized access, providing a secure way to protect information that only the owner and anyone authorized can access.

How do encryption keys work?

Encryption keys are used for two main processes of protecting sensitive data: encryption and decryption. Encryption pertains to the process where the key is used to scramble sensitive information (plaintext) into an unreadable form (ciphertext) by utilizing an encryption algorithm. Meanwhile, decryption refers to reversing the process using a decryption key to transform a ciphertext back to a plaintext.

What are the types of encryption keys?

Most organizations leverage two types of encryption keys to protect critical data: Symmetric and asymmetric. Here are their differences:

1. Symmetric

Symmetric encryption keys are encryption keys that are the same for both encryption and decryption. This means the same key is used to lock (encrypt) and unlock (decrypt) data.

Examples:

• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): A widely used symmetric-key encryption algorithm known for its strength and efficiency. It’s used in various applications, including secure communication, data encryption, and password hashing.
• DES (Data Encryption Standard): DES is an older symmetric-key encryption algorithm that was once widely used but is now considered less secure due to its relatively short key length.
• 3DES (Triple DES): 3DES is a more secure version of DES that involves applying DES three times with different keys.

2. Asymmetric

Asymmetric encryption keys protect critical data by using a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. They work by freely distributing the public key and encrypting the plaintext while the private key remains a secret to those who intend to decrypt the ciphertext.

The private keys will only be known by authorized parties who need to access and decrypt the encrypted data through single-use encryption, key exchange, or the issuance of digital certificates that contain a public key and its corresponding private key.

Examples:

• RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman): A widely used asymmetric key algorithm based on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. It’s used for digital signatures, encryption, and key exchange.
• DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm): An asymmetric key algorithm specifically designed for digital signatures.
• ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography): A relatively new asymmetric key algorithm that offers similar security to RSA but with smaller key sizes, making it more suitable for resource-constrained devices.

Key management explained

From generating encryption keys to using them, key management encompasses several processes in handling encryption keys throughout their lifecycle while maximizing their advantages. The processes involve the following:

1. Key generation

This process refers to creating encryption keys and ensuring that they are unpredictable. Key generation needs to prioritize some essential factors to guarantee the unpredictability of the keys being created. Here are those factors:

• • Key length. The length of the encryption key is dictated by the number of bits used to represent it. Considering other factors, the longer the length, the higher the chances of the key’s unpredictability.
  • Key strength and randomness. A robust random number generator can be used to randomize encryption keys, making them more protected and unpredictable.
  • Protection from brute force attacks. Brute force attacks are cryptographic actions wherein attackers try to guess every possible combination of key values to decrypt encrypted data. Protection from brute force attacks is always considered when generating encryption keys.

2. Key distribution

This part of key management pertains to the safe and secure distribution of encryption keys to authorized parties. Key distribution is done through the following methods:

• Secure channels: Safe and protected communication channels refer to email providers that support message encryption, exchanges over VPN connections, and any other channels where encryption keys can be shared securely.
• Public key infrastructure (PKI): Public Key Infrastructures are systems that ensure the authenticity of public keys by relying on digital certificates. This method makes it more secure to distribute encryption keys.
• Key exchange protocols: Protocols like Diffie-Hellman allow two parties to establish a shared secret key without revealing it to anyone else.

3. Key storage

Encryption keys can only be prevented from unauthorized access if stored in safe locations. Secure storage locations may include hardware security modules (HSMs) or encrypted files.

4. Key rotation

This process involves religiously changing encryption keys to enhance security and reduce the risk of compromise. Key rotation also encompasses the safe destruction of old keys. So, when a key is compromised, rotating the key can help mitigate the damage and prevent further unauthorized access.

What are the use cases of encryption keys?

Encryption keys have many real-life applications, helping industries protect sensitive information their customers and clients share. Here are some common use cases of encryption keys:

• Social media. There are several data on which social media companies are enforcing encryption. One example is user data: messages, photos, and personal information. Another is login credentials like usernames and passwords.
  

• Finance. With the rising number of people using digital banking and payment methods, financial institutions and industries that involve money exchanges online employ encryption keys to make transactions more secure. Online banking leverages encryption to protect client information, such as login credentials, transactions, and personal banking information. Encryption keys also protect transactions using cryptocurrencies.

• E-commerce. The e-commerce industry is closely related to finance since e-commerce customers primarily use digital payment to complete their transactions. This is why e-commerce also utilizes encryption methods to ensure secure payments online between digital stores and payment processors. Some people also store their financial information on their e-commerce apps, and this practice warrants encryption to secure customer data.

• Healthcare. An individual’s health information is confidential and should only be accessible to the patient and authorized healthcare providers if the patient consents. That’s why hospitals and clinics use encryption methods to protect these sensitive data such as medical records and patient diagnoses.

• Government. Citizens’ personal information obtained by the government is also protected by encryption, ensuring that critical data provided by individuals to government agencies are kept secure and accessible only to authorized parties.

• Cloud computing. Storing data in the cloud has become popular in the modern digital era. That’s why cloud storage providers must protect sensitive data stored in their servers using encryption keys. This gives their clients peace of mind, knowing that the data they’re storing in the cloud is secure and protected from unauthorized access.

Conclusion

Data protection is vital to enforcing security over sensitive information shared digitally. Encryption keys play a significant role in maintaining protection by providing a solid system and mechanism that prevents unauthorized access to critical data. These keys encrypt and decrypt sensitive information, guaranteeing confidentiality to those who are only allowed access to these data.

Encryption has helped many industries, such as healthcare, government, and social media, protect client information. This only proves that encryption keys, as the fundamental component of encryption strategies, are essential in the digital world in providing protection and privacy.