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What is encryption?

2 years ago

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16 Replies

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Adriana Yundt


16 Answers

Faraz H Profile Picture
Faraz H Verified Sherpa Tutor ✓

to infinity and beyond!

Encryption is the process of encoding data or a message so that it cannot be understood by anyone other than its intended recipient. Within data processing in a computer, encryption means that data can be stored and transmitted securely by the sending computer to the receiving computer. The data or message is encrypted using an encryption algorithm and decrypted on the other end by a decryption algorithm both which are kept secure.

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Noah Yeates

Encryption is a way of securing data; it is done by encoding the data (plain text) into a cipher. This allows for the data to be sent publicly however only those with the correct encryption key will be able to read it.


There are 2 main types of encryption: Symmetric and Asymmetric.

In Symmetric encryption the same key is used to code and decode the data.

In Asymmetric encryption there are 2 keys, one public and one private. If you want to send data to someone you can use their public key to encrypt the data. then when they receive the ciphertext they use their private key to decode the data.

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Mohammad Sadath

Encryption is converting the readable code to some unreadable thing by using special symbols for the security reasons.

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Andrew M

Encryption is to make data secure so that it cannot be read by outside sources.

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Samra Mehboob

Encryption is the process to convert data to incomprehensible text called cipher text. It is used to avoid unauthorized access to data. The cipher text is converted back to the human-readable data by using key.

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Samra Mehboob

Encryption is the process to convert data to incomprehensible text called cipher text. It is used to avoid unauthorized access to data. The cipher text is converted back to the human-readable data by using key.

Sami A Profile Picture
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Scrambling of information so it cannot be understood without the decryption key

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Afshin J Profile Picture
Afshin J Verified Sherpa Tutor ✓

I have two masters in Maths, two degrees, over a decade of experience.

  1. Conversion: Encryption involves transforming plaintext (original data) into ciphertext (encoded data) using a mathematical algorithm or cipher. This process makes the data appear as random characters to anyone who doesn't have the decryption key.
  2. Key: A key is a crucial component of encryption. It's a piece of information (often a string of bits) that is used in conjunction with the encryption algorithm. There are two main types of encryption:
  3. Security: Encryption ensures data confidentiality by making it extremely difficult for unauthorized parties to understand the encrypted message without the correct key. Modern encryption methods are designed to be highly secure and resistant to decryption without the key, even with the most powerful computers.
  4. Use Cases: Encryption is widely used in various applications, such as secure communication (e.g., HTTPS for web browsing), data protection (e.g., encrypting files or emails), and securing sensitive information like credit card details during online transactions.
  5. Examples: One classic example is the use of encryption in HTTPS, which secures your online transactions and data transfers. When you visit a secure website, your browser and the web server exchange encryption keys and then encrypt the data that passes between them. Without the correct keys, intercepting this data would yield only gibberish.

In summary, encryption is a fundamental concept in computer security and data protection. It converts data into an unreadable form, ensuring that only authorized individuals with the correct decryption key can access the original information.

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Christopher T Profile Picture
Christopher T Verified Sherpa Tutor ✓

Computer Science is not rocket science!

Conversation of plain text into cipher text. A key is required to encrypt and decrypt the message.

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Tinu Rajan

Encryption is simply the process of encoding (changing the format) any information to transfer it in a very secure manner. The original text before encoding is called a plaintext and the encoded text is called a ciphertext. For example, if I need to send a message 'Hi, apple' I can encode it in many different ways, a simple way I choose here is to pick the corresponding number of each alphabet say 1 for A 2 for B etc. So my plaintext is 'hi, apple' and my ciphertext would be '89, 11616125'. Therefore the process of converting plaintext to ciphertext is called encryption. There should also be a method to convert the ciphertext back to plain text and that is called decryption.

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Taseen Hasan

Changing a normal string into a random assortment of letters that only the user on the other end who has the “key” can decrypt into whatever the original message was. This is to prevent hackers from reading peoples messages and data

Trishton  Profile Picture
Trishton Verified Sherpa Tutor ✓

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Hi Adriana, 


Encryption is one of the many important Computer Science topics which links to the data transmission section. Encryption is the principle of scrambling or encoding sensitive data to prevent unlawful or unauthorised access to information. The original data file or message is converted from plaintext to ciphertext by using an encryption algorithm and Key. 


The main encryption methods used are Symmetric and Asymmetric. Both methods require the use of a key for example, Symmetric encryption uses the same private key which is shared separately with the recipient. Asymmetric encryption uses two separate keys which are related. The recipient's public key is made available to others waiting to send recipient data security. Encrypted data can only be decrypted with the user’s private key. 

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Silvia Santamaria Buil

Encryption is the process of using an algorithm and a key to convert data into a secure form that is undecipherable without that key.

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Encryption is the process of scrambling data so that if it is intercepted it cannot be understood.

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Matthew Gillham

Encryption is a way of turning readable plaintext into unreadable ciphertext, with the intention to send to a recipient who can turn the ciphertext back into plaintext. This is done to prevent anyone else from being able to read the message/data encrypted if they had intercepted it.

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