Determine the impact that cryptography plays on email exchange.
The encryption of email data is an important issue in the world of cybersecurity. Every day, more and more people are using encryption for their email correspondence and for protecting corporate information. Because of this, the information on email encryption has become a serious concern for governments, companies and hackers (Dechandet al., 2019). Email encryption involves encoding the data so it can only be read by the sender and the recipient. This is important for two reasons:
- it allows people to send emails without worrying about government officials or rival companies reading their correspondence; and
- it allows governments and companies to communicate with each other securely over email, preserving trade secrets from hackers.
Companies rely heavily on email encryption as a way to communicate with overseas trading partners, protect vital information from foreign competition and prevent hacking by foreign agents. They also use it to ensure that email correspondence is private, with administrators and employees having the option of encrypting or not encrypting email messages (Dechandet al., 2019). This can be a big disadvantage for companies, since if employees are not educated on the importance of encryption and are unaware that their messages are not secure, they could expose sensitive information.
There are two types of encryption: symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption. Symmetric is easier to use, but it is also less secure. Asymmetric encryption is much more complicated to use, but it’s also more secure. In a symmetrical system, the same cryptographic key (a short string of numbers and letters) is used to encode and decode messages. This means the key needs to be shared with the recipient (or employees) before they can read the message.
Should a company encrypt their email traffic and what would be the disadvantage for encrypting the data.
Cybersecurity is a key factor in today’s business world. Many companies have changed their email encryption protocol to much more secure systems. Company executives should also practice safe habits when using email on their mobile devices or desktop computers. The primary reason that email encryption is in place is because of the ever-increasing threat of cyber-attacks (Harba, 2017). Email is the most commonly used way to transmit sensitive and personal information, such as corporate confidential material or customer information.
Mail can be a very easy target for a hacker or spy to intercept. Many email accounts are used across multiple devices and compromised by hackers who generally go undetected until the company’s executives are using their email on their mobile phone at work, leaving their password open to be accessed. Email encryption is a much more secure and protective way of transmitting confidential or sensitive information. Email encryption works by using a special, hard-coded password to authenticate recipients that are accessing the email account. The second part of the process happens when the data is transmitted from one device to another (Harba, 2017). As opposed to traditional email, in which all messages are sent with an open connection, email encryption means sending the decrypted data using a secure connection that is not open to hacking.
Encryption is a method of coding information in such a way that only authorized people can read it. This form of security is essential for ensuring that the confidentiality of business communications is protected from anyone that should not be reading it. It is vital when dealing with sensitive or confidential information, or in situations where competitors may attempt to gain an advantage by intercepting an email message containing sensitive information.
Encryption is a great way to keep your data secure, but it comes with some drawbacks. First, encrypting data requires more processing power and time which in turn can lead to longer wait times for the transfer of encrypted information. Second, if the encryption key is lost or compromised there is no way for anyone else to use it without having access to your passphrase (Harba, 2017). Third, decrypting the information you send requires a decryption passphrase, which is only of value if you have chosen an extremely long one.
To conclude, email encryption is a useful tool for those who want to protect the confidentiality of their correspondence. It can be used to help secure sensitive business information and keep it safe from potential hackers and competitors. It comes with three drawbacks, but they are easily managed and are nothing compared to the security benefits that encryption offers. Email encryption has proven itself as a useful tool in today’s world of cybersecurity. The fact that emails are unsecure is no longer an issue now that people have the ability to use email encryption.
References
Dechand, S., Naiakshina, A., Danilova, A., & Smith, M. (2019, June). In encryption we don’t trust: The effect of end-to-end encryption to the masses on user perception. In 2019 IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy (EuroS&P) (pp. 401-415). IEEE https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8806742
Harba, E. S. I. (2017). Secure data encryption through a combination of AES, RSA and HMAC. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, 7(4), 1781-1785. https://etasr.com/index.php/ETASR/article/view/1272