Hashing Vs Encryption Vs Encoding Key Differences

Asymmetric Key Encryption

Asymmetric encryption, as the name suggests, utilizes two keys for the encryption and decryption process. The two keys, known as a key pair, consist of a public key and a private key. The public key, as the name suggests, is public and can be freely distributed, while the private key is kept secret.

The unique characteristic of asymmetric encryption is that data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key, and vice versa. This approach provides a superior level of data security and is famously used in scenarios where secure data transmission is required over an unsecured network, like the internet.

For instance, when you make an online purchase, your credit card information is often protected using asymmetric encryption. When you submit your purchase, your credit card details are encrypted with the website’s public key. This encrypted data can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key, which is securely stored and only accessible by the website’s owner. This ensures that even if the data is intercepted during transmission, it cannot be decrypted and read without the private key.

Examples of Asymmetric Encryption Algorithms

There are several popular asymmetric encryption algorithms that are widely used in today’s digital world:

1. RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman): It is one of the earliest public-key cryptosystems and widely used for secure data transmission. Its security is based on the computational difficulty of factoring large integers.
2. Diffie-Hellman: This algorithm is primarily used to securely exchange cryptographic keys over a public channel and was one of the first public-key protocols invented.
3. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC): ECC is used to create faster, smaller, and more efficient cryptographic keys. ECC generates keys through the properties of the elliptic curve equation instead of the traditional method of generation as the product of very large prime numbers.
4. ElGamal: ElGamal is a public-key cryptosystem developed by Taher ElGamal in 1985. It is based on the Diffie-Hellman key agreement protocol.
5. DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm): DSA is a Federal Information Processing Standard for digital signatures. It was proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in August 1991 for use in their Digital Signature Standard (DSS), specified in FIPS 186.

Symmetric Key Encryption

Symmetric key encryption, also known as private key encryption, is a type of encryption where the same key is used for both encryption and decryption of data. This method of encryption is comparatively faster and more efficient than its counterpart, asymmetric encryption, making it ideal for encrypting large volumes of data. However, it requires the secure distribution and management of the key since if the key is compromised, the encrypted data can also be compromised.

Symmetric key encryption is widely used in several applications due to its efficiency and speed. For example, it is used in secure communication systems such as email and messaging services to encrypt data between sender and receiver. It is also used in secure file transfer protocols to ensure the confidentiality of data being transferred.

In symmetric key encryption, the power lies in the fact that the “same algorithm” is deployed for both the encryption and decryption process, hence the security of the system is highly reliant on the confidentiality of the shared key.

Examples of Symmetric Encryption Algorithms

Some common symmetric key encryption algorithms include:

• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): This algorithm was chosen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a replacement for the Data Encryption Standard (DES). It is currently considered one of the most secure symmetric key encryption algorithms.
• Triple DES: As the name suggests, this algorithm applies DES three times to each block of data. This provides better security compared to single DES and is still used in some legacy systems.
• Blowfish: Developed by Bruce Schneier in 1993, this algorithm uses a 64-bit block size and a variable key length up to 448 bits. It is known for its fast encryption and decryption speeds.
• Twofish: This algorithm was also developed by Bruce Schneier as an improvement to Blowfish. It has a block size of 128 bits and supports key lengths from 128 to 256 bits. It is considered a very secure algorithm.
• RC4: This stream cipher algorithm was developed by Ron Rivest in 1987 and became widely used due to its simplicity and fast execution. However, it has been found to have security vulnerabilities and is no longer recommended for use.

What is Hashing?

Hashing is a technique used in computer science to convert any input (be it a string, a number, a file) into a compressed numerical value. The resulting output, known as a hash, is a fixed size regardless of the size or type of the input. The key principle of hashing is that the same input will always produce the same hash, making it an effective way of checking the integrity of data.

At the heart of hashing are hash functions. These are mathematical algorithms that take an input (or ‘message’) and return a fixed-size string of bytes, typically in the form of a hash code. The output is unique to each unique input – a minute change in the input will produce such a drastic change in output that the new hash will appear uncorrelated with the old hash.

Hashing has numerous applications in computer science. It is commonly used in data retrieval, as in hash tables, where a large amount of data is to be stored and retrieved efficiently. Hashing is also extensively used in encryption and decryption algorithms to ensure data security. Hashing ensures data integrity, as it generates a unique identifier for a given input, allowing any changes, even the slightest alteration in the data, to be immediately noticeable as it results in a different hash value.

The likelihood of two different inputs producing the same hash value, a situation known as a hash collision, is extremely low, thereby enhancing the security of data transmissions.