Different Types of Encryption: Symmetric Encryption vs Asymmetric Encryption for Cybersecurity Beginners
There are two very common ways of encrypting data which are extensively used today. To understand cryptography and cybersecurity components it is essential to understand the different between Symmetric and Asymmetric encryption.
Symmetric encryption is the simplest form of encryption there is. With symmetric encryption, the encryption key that is used to encrypt a message is the same encryption key that is need to decrypt the message. A good example of this is the Caesar Cipher which I mentioned in my previous essay. However, nowadays, we commonly use an encryption algorithm called AES which has 1.1579 x 10⁷⁷ possible combinations or 256 bits. Symmetric encryption has the benefit of being daster than other forms of encryption, but it does suffer from a fairly serious flaw: the key exchange. Try using openssl and the DES algorithm on your terminal to see how this works!
Asymmetric Encryption is a new advance in the encryption world. It works by making every party generate two encryption keys: a private and a public one. The public encryption key is the one you send to whoever needs to communicate with you securely. The private encryption key should remain private to yourself. These two keys are linked together mathematically. If someone wants to communicate with you they must encrypt their plain text with your public key. When you receive that encypted message you must decrypt it using your private key. This method is slow compared to symmetric encryption and there is still a problem of key exchange. A good way to get hands on experience with this encryption method is using openssl and use the RSA algorithm to generate a keypair.
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