Security+ Domain #6: Cryptography and PKI

Introduction

Cryptography is of paramount importance to every enterprise’s security position because it ensures data confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation. The fundamental concept of cryptography is known as encryption, which is the act of changing the original plaintext into a secret message. According to the 2018 Global Encryption Trends Study, published by Ponemon Institute, “43% of companies now have a consistent and enterprise-wide encryption strategy.” Even if the malicious parties penetrate the host and successfully reach the data, they still need to discover the key to unlock the encrypted content, which is usually out of the question if a proper and adequate encryption is applied. In this article, we’ll delve into the basic concepts of cryptography that are indispensable for taking and then passing the Security+ SY0-501 exam with an elite score.

What Is Cryptography?

Cryptography is the science of transforming data into a secure form so that the unauthorized person cannot access it. Cryptography can be applied to both hardware and software, such as data on mobile devices, removable media, databases, and individual files.

Symmetric Algorithms

A symmetric algorithm is the type of encryption where the same key is utilized to encrypt and decrypt messages. .

The most reliable symmetric algorithms today are Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES is reliable for both hardware and software components and supports 128-bit block length and up to 128, 192, and 256-bit key lengths. 3DES is a more secure variant of the DES algorithm. It implements the DES algorithm thrice to each data block, providing a key strength of either 112 or 168 bits. Other popular symmetric algorithms include RC4, RC5, RC6, and Blowfish/Twofish. Some older versions, which are defunct today, include DES, SIMON, and SPECK.

Symmetric algorithms can provide strong protection in the face of cyber-attacks (Read more...)