Encryption

Study Guide

What is Encryption?

Encryption, in the context of software, is process by which data in a computer can be encoded in such a way that no one can determine its original value, save for the original owner of the data and whoever he or she sees fit. In this manner, private or sensitive data can be protected without having to physically deny access to the medium that holds the data (e.g. a server).

In general, encryption consists of three items: the original data, the encryption algorithm known as the cypher, and the "solution" to that algorithm called the key. The cypher uses instructions provided by the key to perform an operation on the data, giving it a new value that does not yield any useful information about the original state of the data. At first glance, the new data may appear to simply be gibberish or random noise. In this state, the data is said to be encrypted. To decrypt the data, one simply has to plug the key back into the cypher and run the operations in reverse.

It is not impossible to perform the decryption without the key, but if the key is of sufficient complexity or length, even a brute-force approach may require an impractical amount of time. It is for this reason that most clients can be certain that their data will not be compromised. It is also for this reason that clients need to take care that their key is only provided to people that they want to share the data with.

Examples of Encryption Software

• PGP-Originally used only to encrypt email messages and attachments, but has since diversified into several applications, including disk encryption for laptops and IM sessions. It is built upon public-key encryption technology[1].

Role of Government

There have been attempts at governmental intervention in the past, often with mixed results.

• In 1993, he US federal government attempted to mount a case against Philip Zimmermann, the creator of PGP. At the time, encryption was legally considered a "munition," and therefore had its exportation restricted. The case was ultimately thrown out after Zimmermann convinced the court that software can be printed in books, and is therefore protected under the 1st Amendment. A couple of years later, the federal government substantially reduced its restrictions upon encryption software and disqualified it as a munition.

Links

These will be sorted later on.

• Ethical Considerations of Privacy and Cyber-Medical Information by Jonathan Klemens
• Ethical Considerations for Providing Professional Services Online by J.H. Yamamura and F.H. Grupe
• Federal government pushes full-disk encryption by Dennis Fisher
• Government buys encryption by Michael Mongold
• Federal encryption standardization by Douglas Schweitzer
• Your Encryption Key a Fifth Amendment Right?
• A Pretty Good Way to Foil the NSA by Ryan Singel
• Voice Encryption May Draw U.S. Scrutiny by John Markoff
• The University's Role in Advancing Data Encryption, Part 2 by Andrew Burger
• Unlocking encryption management by Matt Hines
• Wikipedia Entry on Encryption
• How Encryption Works by Jeff Tyson