How Computer Encription Works How Computer Key Encryption Works essays

How Computer Encription Works How Computer Key Encryption Works essays Computer encryption is based on the science of cryptography (Tyson, 2000), which has been used since the days of the Roman Empire. Prior to the technological age, the governments used cryptography for military purposes. The existence of coded messages dates back to the Roman Empire. However, most forms of modern cryptography are based on computers, simply because a human-based code is relatively easy for a computer to crack. Encryption is a strategy used to make email messages, data files and electronic-commerce transactions secure (Ouellette, 2003). Encoded blocks of data, called keys, are used to protect the message from outside viewers while it is traveling across the Internet. When it gets to the recipient, that recipient also must use a special key that can unlock the message. Computer key encryption is a technology that has been around for decades but has only recently gained global recognition as an expedient and inexpensive way for businesses to secure their data transmissions. Key encryption, which is also known as cryptography, has gained popularity recently for three reasons: Internet and extranet growth, an accelerating electronic-commerce market and a more mobile and remote workforce. In today's global marketplace, businesses need to use the Internet and email to send vast amounts of information, including purchase orders and client data, to customers, vendors, researchers and more. However, security concerns pose a barrier to their ability to do web-based electronic commerce. Key encryption offers a solution to this problem. Most computer encryption systems fall into one of two categories (Tyson, Symmetric-key encryption Public-key encryption In symmetric-key encryption, each computer has a secret code or key that it uses to encrypt a packet of information before it is sent to another computer via a network. Symmetric-key requires that u...