What is Encryption in Computer Software?

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Modern computers are equipped with tools to secure data and make it unreadable for anyone without the right key. What is encryption and how does it work? This article explains the fundamentals of encryption and how it can help protect sensitive information from hackers.

In simple terms, data encryption transforms data that is readable into coded encrypted text that can only be deciphered by authorized users who have the correct password. It is an essential element of cyber-security that provides the security of data as well as keeping sensitive information from non-authorized users.

A common form uses mathematical models that are cryptographic in order to convert the original data into a chaotic collection of characters (also called ciphertext). The encryption algorithm “scrambles” individual bits of data randomly, so that it would take a huge amount of computing power to find the key and convert back to plaintext.

For example, if you use the most common form of encryption, known as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) for your digital files, every one of the zeros and ones that comprise it gets scrambled 10 times in a semi-random pattern. It will take computers an extended time to reorder all the numbers into the right order without a key.

The encryption process can also be used to stop data leaks and ransomware. Hackers who steal encrypted information cannot read the data and aren’t able to blackmail the company or the person who is involved by threatening to release the stolen data onto the dark web. It also protects backup systems from hackers since they are unable to access the data in its original format.