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Encryption
Encryption is an effective way to achieve data security. It is a process where special software modifies data to prevent it from being read by unauthorized persons during transfer on a network. In order to read the text, the process has to be reversed (decrypted) by the receiver. To read an encrypted file, you must have access to a secret key or password that enables you to decrypt it. The process is a common way of sending credit card numbers over the Internet when conducting commercial transactions. Encryption is also used by companies to send information securely from one branch to another using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Unencrypted data is called plain text, encrypted data is referred to as cipher text. Examples of encryption methods are DES (Data Encryption Standard) and 3-DES. DES and 3-DES are symmetric encryption methods, as opposed to asymmetric (a.k.a. public key) encryption methods.
Related terms:
Asymmetric encryption, DES, Digital Certificate, IKE, IPSec, RSA, Symmetric encryption, Triple-DES/3-DES, Tunnel, VPN
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