1.3. Data Encryption

Encryption protects data against inspection by unauthorized people. This section will describe how symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption processes work and how some applications combine symmetric and asymmetric processes.

1.3.1. Symmetric Encryption

As mentioned, symmetric encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption as shown in Figure 1-1. The algorithms associated with symmetric encryption are able to encrypt large amounts of data in little time thanks to the use of a single key and the fact that symmetric encryption algorithms are much simpler compared to asymmetric encryption algorithms.