File transfer services serve as the backbone of most Internet transactions. After all, what is the Internet but a digital forum intended for information exchange? Easy file transfer services come in a variety of forms: FTP, SFTP, PGP, and many, many others. One aspect of data delivery methods that many users may not be aware of, however, are encryption codes. Encryption and decryption codes are used to protect digital privacy and many data delivery services employ them. From email to cloud storage to server work, encryption serves as the backbone for most file transfer services.
In essence, encryption is the process of protecting data not by hiding it per se but rather by masking it. In other words, encryption doesn’t hide the data itself; there are, of course, other programs and codes for that purpose. Instead, encryption takes the data and transforms it into unreadable language that can only be accessible by approved users. With encryption, the data, known as “plaintext,” is translated using an algorithm into an indecipherable language known as “ciphertext.” Whoever receives the ciphertext can translate it back into plaintext using a “key,” or a code that can restore the data to its original format.
There are two major kinds of encryption: symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric encryption uses the same key, known as a “private key,” to encrypt and decrypt data. Symmetric encryption is the oldest encryption code available, and it is still widely-used. Though symmetric encryption is very useful in the sense that it provides excellent security, it becomes troublesome when one of the two parties (either the receiver or the sender) forgets the key. Delivering key information online presents security issues of its own.
On the other hand, asymmetric encryption uses two paired keys: a private and public key. A “public key” is a code that, as the name suggests, is open to any user. However, a private key is still used by the receiver to decrypt the information. The advantage of using asymmetric encryption is that it enables more users to send data. The disadvantage, however, is that if the public key is compromised, then the information can be compromised as well.
When is encryption used? All the time. For example, PGP, or “Pretty Good Privacy,” is an encryption program which is especially designed for email communication. Nearly every computer, every program, and every app uses some kind of encryption. Ever since encryption’s inception, managed file transfer services have never been the same.
