Some data is very sensitive and therefore it has to be hidden away from parties who are not supposed to view it. In this age of computers, their capacity for transfer and retrieval of information may be exploited by other parties to gain access to confidential and potentially dangerous data. Therefore, measures have been taken to ensure that data is not accessed by others which is done by using several methods which, besides physical security, includes the use of encryption algorithms which are programs that change the way information looks by rendering it illegible.
Data encryption is an important part of computing and, if done properly, can provide the user with means through which data can be protected from other parties. Encryption is done in many areas including end point devices such as computer terminals and servers which store important information. As such, data encryption has been applied in the military, banking sector, in businesses and other areas which require secure storage and transfer of data. Data encryption is simply the change of raw data or ordinary information referred to as plaintext into indecipherable material called cipher text. The data can then be stored or transferred securely since it cannot be read by another party. If the data is to be accessed, a cipher, which is the pair of algorithms that encrypts and decrypts data, is used to decrypt the data. The data can then be read and it is therefore accessible only to those with the cipher.
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