Describing encryption

This section discusses encryption and how it is used to protect against data exposure. Encryption is used to stop plain text data from being accessed by those not authorized to. In the next sections, we will discuss how this is accomplished and the ways that data is encrypted.

What is encryption?

As stated previously, using encryption avoids data from being exposed in plain text. Encryption converts the plain text to a cipher-text code that is unreadable without the proper authorization keys to decrypt the data back into plain text. The users that have access to that data have been authorized through their login credentials or by accessing the data through a secure encrypted channel in order to view it. If an unauthorized user attempts to access the same data through unencrypted channels, it will be shown as unreadable letters and numbers.

The next sections will discuss the various types of encryption and how they are used to protect unauthorized access...