Symmetric Vs. Asymmetric – Encryption Made Simple

Today, the way we communicate and interact online has made modern communication seem like magic. But the fruit of technology comes at a price: giving up privacy.

With the development of the Internet, activities such as hacking have become common and the consequences are often devastating.

Encryption has been around for thousands of years, but now we have adapted it to our technological developments. And in an industry like cryptocurrency, it plays an important role in providing security and anonymity.

There are two main encryption methods: symmetric and asymmetric .

But before we start talking about it, let's define some of the terms we'll come across and see how cryptography actually works.

Cryptographic terms you need to know

• Encryption The process of converting plain text into incomprehensible text.
• Decrypting The process of converting unreadable text into plain text.
• key The password or code used to encrypt and decrypt information.
• Delete text . Standard messages without any encryption.
• coded text . encrypted message.

What is cryptography?

At that time, cryptography was mainly used in military or government operations. But thanks to recent technological developments, it has quickly found its way into most aspects of life.

Cryptography uses complex mathematical formulas to convert plain text into unreadable text to hide messages. In its most basic form, cryptography has two steps: encryption and decryption.

The encryption process uses a cipher to encrypt plaintext and convert it into ciphertext. Decryption, on the other hand, uses the same encryption to convert the ciphertext into plaintext.

Here is an example of how a message encrypted with a Caesar cipher looks like:

SD nyocx'd bokvvi wkddob.

Let me know in the comments if you understand what he's saying.

And although the text may seem unreadable at first glance, the process is very simple once you know how the encryption method works. Also known as shift digits, the Caesar digit moves each letter a certain number of spaces to the right or left of the alphabet.

So, if we decide to shift 7 spaces to the right, we get:

• A=H
• B = me
• C=J
• D=K
• …
• D=D
• X = E
• Y=F
• Z=G

As you can see, the Caesar cipher is quite simple, so it is one of the easiest to crack. All you need to do is find out how many spaces were converted to the alphabet.

What is symmetric encryption?

Symmetric encryption is the simplest form of encryption, and the Caesar cipher is an excellent example.

It uses a unique secret key to encrypt and decrypt the information, which makes the process quite simple. The message is encrypted with computer A's secret key. It is then sent to computer B, which decrypts it with the same key.

Because the encryption and decryption processes use the same key, symmetric encryption is faster than its counterpart. Therefore, it is mostly preferred for large files that require encryption, such as databases.

Symmetric encryption is commonly used by banks, as it effectively protects PII (Personally Identifiable Information) without much additional cost. This helps reduce the risks associated with processing day-to-day payment transactions.

Modern symmetric encryption methods include AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), 3DES (Triple Data Encryption Standard) and Blowfish.

The algorithm recommended by the US National Standards Institute is called AES. So, the most popular are AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256.

How is asymmetric encryption different?

Asymmetric cryptography, also known as public key cryptography, uses more than one key of two different types: public and private.

And I'm sure this sounds familiar to those of you who have a cryptocurrency wallet.

As the name suggests, the public key is the public key and the private key is the secret. Only the owner should know.

Instead of using one key to decrypt and encrypt information, asymmetric encryption uses two keys. Messages encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key. And, of course, messages encrypted with the private key can only be decrypted with the public key.

NOTE Asymmetric encryption systems often use more than two keys. There is an algorithm that uses 5 keys, which greatly increases the security and the number of possible solutions for decrypting messages.

Using two keys makes the encryption and decryption process extremely difficult and increases the security it provides. This makes it an essential component of modern cryptosystems, providing anonymity and authenticity.

One of the oldest public key encryption systems is RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman), first introduced in 1978. Some of the most widely used asymmetric encryption algorithms today are the Diffie-Hellman algorithm and digital signature algorithms.

The main difference between these algorithms is that some provide key distribution and anonymity, others digital signatures, and others both.

However, one problem remains to be solved : authentication.

This is where digital certificates come in.

For asymmetric encryption to work, we need a way to authenticate the messages being sent.

One solution is to use digital certificates. A digital certificate is a collection of information that identifies the user and the server. Think of it as your ID.

It contains your name (or the name of your organization), the name of the organization that issued the certificate, your email address, your country of origin, and your public key.

When someone sends an encrypted message over a secure channel, their digital certificate is automatically included. This helps identify users/devices and creates a secure communication channel.

What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

The main problem with modern encryption systems is the difficulty of exchanging secret keys over the Internet. This is why most systems use a combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption.

Asymmetric ciphers are used to provide the code needed to decrypt symmetric ciphers.

Basically, asymmetric encryption serves as a set of rules to begin decoding a message. It explains how to unlock the encryption keys needed to decrypt the original data.

Therefore, it is difficult to try to argue that one figure is better than another. But here are the main differences between the two systems.

• Symmetric encryption uses one key to encrypt and decrypt information, whereas asymmetric encryption uses several keys of two different types: public and private.
• While symmetric encryption is faster and ideal for encrypting large amounts of data, asymmetric encryption is usually used to transfer the code needed to decrypt symmetric encryption.
• Asymmetric encryption is a modern algorithm, whereas symmetric encryption has been around for about 2000 years.
• Symmetric encryption is a relatively simple process, whereas asymmetric encryption is much more complex and therefore more difficult (but not impossible) to crack using pure computing power.

Which encryption is more secure, symmetric or asymmetric?

This is a difficult question.

Most people believe that asymmetric encryption is more secure because it has a public key and a private key. But comparing strength and resistance to symmetric and asymmetric cipher attacks is not that simple.

Context is important here.

Symmetric encryption is best used when trying to exchange information between a small number of people. It's easier to use and understand, so there's less chance of misinterpreting information.

Also, symmetric encryption/decryption algorithms tend to be faster.

On the other hand, asymmetric encryption works much better in large groups of people (like the Internet).

Most modern systems (such as SSL or TLS) use a combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption, as well as other algorithms.

Therefore, the discussion of which of the two encryption methods is appropriate depends on the context.

Final Thoughts

Encryption is a complex subject, but it usually depends on what you want to use it for.

This makes it difficult to say "asymmetric is better than symmetric" or vice versa. While symmetric encryption may be best in some situations, in other cases asymmetric encryption may be the best solution.

And while it may seem easy to say encryption is only for developers, it's not. We all need to have a basic understanding of how internet security works. This will help us better defend against potential attacks and promote responsible online behavior.

The post “Symmetric and Asymmetric – Simple Encryption” first appeared on Coindoo.