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Tag: cryptographic keys

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Data Protection

Cryptographic Flaws: Second Biggest Cybersecurity Threat

“Cryptographic flaws have become a growing problem in a world heavily dependent on digital transactions and online communications that make use of cryptography.

In this context, cyber security, with a special focus on cryptographic algorithms, has become critical. These algorithms are an essential tool for protecting sensitive data.

However, the effectiveness of this data encryption is directly dependent on its correct and secure implementation, an aspect that, unfortunately, is often overlooked.”

A
OWASP (Open Worldwide Application Security Project)
) is a non-profit foundation that works to improve software security. In 2021, the foundation published its latest “Top 10” list,
a ranking of cybersecurity threats
.

On this list,
cryptographic flaws have risen to second position
highlighting the seriousness of this problem.

Owasp-Top10 2021 - Cryptographic Faults

Previously categorized as “Exposure of Sensitive Data,” cryptographic flaws have been recognized as the root cause of many security breaches.

These are not mere symptoms of broader security problems, but fundamental flaws that allow sensitive data to be exposed and systems to be compromised.

This paper will explore the growing threat of cryptographic flaws and highlight the importance of tighter control over cryptographic keys and algorithms.

By understanding the nature of these flaws and implementing appropriate controls, we can make our systems more secure and better protect our data from cyber threats.

The need for stricter control over Cryptographic Keys and Algorithms

In short, encryption is a powerful tool for protecting sensitive data, but when misused or neglected, it can be the source of catastrophic security breaches.

Many of the most common mistakes related to cryptography can be attributed to flaws in the control of cryptographic keys and algorithms. Here are some of the most common problems:

  • Use of weak or obsolete cryptographic algorithms and protocols

As technology advances, algorithms and protocols that were once considered secure can become vulnerable. For example, hash functions such as MD5 and SHA1 were once widely used, but are now considered insecure and are discouraged.

Similarly, the use of obsolete cryptographic padding methods, such as PKCS number 1 v1.5, can also lead to vulnerabilities.

  • Improper use of cryptographic keys

Cryptographic keys are a fundamental part of cryptography, but are often mismanaged.

Common problems include the use, generation or reuse of weak cryptographic keys, and lack of proper key rotation.

In addition, improper storage of keys, such as storing keys in source code, can make them vulnerable to exposure and theft.

  • Plain Text Data Transmission

Even with encryption in place, if data is transmitted in clear text (e.g. via protocols such as HTTP, SMTP, FTP), it can be intercepted and read by attackers.

  • Failure to properly validate certificates and chains of trust

To establish a secure connection, you must properly validate the server’s certificates and trust chains. If you don’t do this, attackers can impersonate trusted entities and intercept or alter data.

  • No authenticated encryption

Authenticated encryption is a form of encryption that not only protects the confidentiality of data, but also its integrity and authenticity.

If only encryption is used, without authentication, the data can be vulnerable to certain types of attacks.

In practice, to mitigate these flaws, strict control over cryptographic keys and algorithms is vital.

Strengthening Cybersecurity: Mitigating Cryptographic Breaches

Cryptographic flaws, although dangerous, are avoidable. There are several preventive measures that can be taken to minimize the risk of such failures. Here are some of the most important ones:

  • Classify your data

Identify which data is sensitive and needs extra protection. This can include personal information, health records, credit card numbers, trade secrets, and any data that is subject to privacy laws or regulations.

  • Minimize storage of sensitive data

In other words, don’t store more than necessary. Discard sensitive data as soon as it is no longer needed.

If you need to store sensitive data, make sure it is encrypted.

  • Use secure and up-to-date algorithms and protocols

Avoid using cryptographic algorithms and protocols that are known to be insecure or have become obsolete. Make sure that you are using algorithms and protocols that are considered secure by today’s cyber security authorities.

  • Implement effective key management

Cryptographic keys must be generated and stored securely, avoiding reuse between different systems or applications. In addition, a process must be implemented to rotate the keys regularly.

  • Use encryption in transit and at rest

Data must be encrypted, even at rest or when being transmitted between systems (in transit).

  • Authenticate your encryptions

Always use authenticated encryption, which protects not only the confidentiality of data, but also its integrity and authenticity.

  • Avoid obsolete cryptographic functions and schemes

Avoid using obsolete hash functions like MD5 and SHA1 and obsolete cryptographic padding schemes like PKCS number 1 v1.5.

By adopting these preventive measures, organizations can strengthen their cybersecurity and mitigate the risk of cryptographic flaws.

Cyber security is a constantly evolving field, and it is important to always be vigilant and up-to-date with the latest and best practices.

Rise of Cryptographic Flaws: the urgency of strict control

As web security threats continue to evolve, it is essential that encryption practices evolve as well.

Implementing robust preventive measures and maintaining tight control over cryptographic keys and algorithms is a crucial step in ensuring data security and system reliability.

Raising awareness about the importance of secure and effective encryption is the key to combating the rising tide of cryptographic flaws.

Eval leads in Cryptographic Agility and Advanced Technologies

Eval is a company that differentiates itself in the market by adopting and offering advanced technologies. One of its main areas of expertise is cryptographic agility, along with electronic signature tools, essential in today’s digital age.

Eval’s electronic signature solutions are robust tools that provide the level of security required for digital transactions and agreements. With them, the authenticity of documents, contracts, and digital transactions can be confirmed, protecting against fraud and misunderstandings.

However, it is in cryptographic agility that Eval really shines. As one of the most vital strategies for protecting digital information, cryptographic agility enables rapid adaptation to threats and evolutions in the cybersecurity landscape.

Cryptographic agility is essential for maintaining trust in digital environments, where threats are always evolving and data security is of utmost importance. Eval recognizes this need and is at the forefront of implementing systems that enable rapid change and updating of cryptographic algorithms and security protocols.

At Eval, we use the latest and most secure forms of encryption and cryptographic agility practices to ensure that our customers’ data is always protected, without compromising the ability to adapt to the changing digital security landscape.

Contact Eval to learn more

Now that you are aware of the growing threat of cryptographic flaws and the importance of strict control over cryptographic keys and algorithms, it is time to take a step further.

Don’t leave the security of your data to chance. Effective protection of your data starts with choosing a reliable and experienced technology partner.

To learn more about how Eval can help you strengthen your data security and reduce the risks associated with cryptographic flaws, contact us today. Our experts are ready to listen to your needs and work out a customized solution that best meets your requirements.

Don’t wait until it is too late. Make securing your data a priority today, and find out how Eval can help you achieve this.

Contact Eval now and take the first step toward a safer future.

About Eval

With a track record of leadership and innovation dating back to 2004, Eval not only keeps up with technological trends, but we are also in an incessant quest to bring news by offering solutions and services that make a difference to people’s lives.

With market recognized value, Eval’s solutions and services meet the highest regulatory standards for public and private organizations, such as SBIS, ITI, PCI DSS, and LGPD. In practice, we promote information security and compliance, increase companies’ operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Innovate now, lead always: get to know Eval’s solutions and services and take your company to the next level.

Eval, safety is value.

Written by Arnaldo Miranda, Evaldo. Ai, reviewed by Marcelo Tiziano and designed by Caio.

Categories
Data Protection

Cryptographic Key Management in Healthcare: A Real Challenge

The use of cryptography and cryptographic key management in healthcare to protect data at rest or media is a reality for medical institutions and users of services such as cloud storage, messaging and many others.

However, those responsible for these services are presented with many options for cryptographic mechanisms and consequently there are many choices to be made.

Poor choices in cryptographic key management in healthcare can result in little or no gain, even loss, creating a false sense of security in a healthcare organization’s data.

For example: encrypt a database and keep the cryptographic key in a file on the server.

In this article we intend to address some relevant aspects for the information security of data in the health area that are related to cryptographic keys.

With this we will show the importance of their correct management for the programming of cryptographic services.

To facilitate understanding, we will divide the article into three parts. Starting with the basics about cryptography, cryptographic services and finally cryptographic key management.

Cryptographic Key Management in Health and Data Encryption

Cryptography is a set of principles used to ensure the security of information in a healthcare institution.

To this end, cryptographic key management in healthcare employs techniques to transform one piece of information (cipher) into another (cryptogram) that is readable only to those who know the secret (secret key).

By keeping this secret safe, we prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to the original information (decrypt).

  • Secrecy

The security of cryptographic services is based on the secrecy of the cryptographic key, which allows encryption and decryption, and not on the method of transforming the information, i.e. the algorithm used, which must be public.

  • Symmetric and asymmetric keys

In cryptography there are two basic types of algorithms: symmetric and asymmetric key. The former use a single key to encrypt and decrypt the data, while the latter adopt a pair of keys, one for encryption and the other for decryption.

Cryptographic services

There is really no 100% method, not for health or any other area, but some guidelines can help reduce or prevent attacks.

One of the first steps to be taken into consideration is the confidentiality of each patient’s data. Use a network where only authorized persons have access.

Looking for special storage for your data is also one of the ways to prevent data leakage. There are storages that can help digital health security in this regard.

As mentioned above, it is clear that encryption and cryptographic key management in healthcare are the most efficient ways to prevent data theft in healthcare.

Whether it is to protect data at rest, i.e. that is stored, or even to protect data in transit, i.e. that travels on the network, coupled with strict access control are essential to help the hospital keep data protected.

It is worth remembering that it is super important to protect the perimeter with a firewall on your network and also to protect the desktop / servers with antivirus, among many other tools.

  • Confidentiality

According to studies
email attacks grew by 473%
 2017-2019 for health alone. The maintenance of outdated legacy systems is one of the reasons for this high volume of attacks.

Another study estimates that spending on advertising alone, due to image risk,
increases by 64%
in hospitals that suffer data leaks.

Confidentiality has to start with the adoption of an Electronic Patient Record (EPP), which in addition to centralizing the medical data of each care (complete history), facilitates the achievement of prestigious accreditations in the sector, such as HIMSS (Health Information and Management Systems Society), linked to good health IT practices.

You need to train your staff constantly to avoid improper access and use of the applications provided within the institution.

Confidentiality of data through encryption, management of cryptographic keys in health and with proper access control, also ensures that information cannot be viewed by third parties and that only authorized persons have access to it.

  • Integrity

The technique for ensuring integrity is in short, when a given piece of information is not modified in an unauthorized way after its creation, during transmission or storage.

Whether the change is accidental or intentional, the insertion, removal or replacement of data must be detected. Cryptographic mechanisms such as cryptographic digest, also known as hash, and digital signature provide the support for this service.

  • Authentication

The authentication service verifies the identity of a user in order to have some assurance that the person is who they say they really are. There are several authentication mechanisms, user and password is a well-known model, but so is authentication using a digital certificate.

In the digital certificate model, one can use the SSL protocol, or even login digital signatures as an authentication model. The digital certificate is interesting to use the ICP-Brazil model or another that the organization trusts, such as Internal Certificate Authority.

In the ICP-Brasil Certifying Authorities, it is in the process of issuing the digital certificate that the person needs to attend a face-to-face validation, now there is also the remote modality, with original documents that prove the identity of the applicant.
  • Irretractability

The non-retractability service provides the means to ensure that whoever created information cannot deny its authenticity, or at least that it is difficult to deny.

In this sense, it is linked to the digital signature, in which the owner of the private key cannot deny that he has held it for a particular purpose.

  • Authorization

Additionally, after authentication, it is possible to use the information of the authenticated user in the system to define the authorization of the information. The authorization service provides approval or permission for the execution of an activity.

As an example, the authorization service can be employed to define the permissions to use a cryptographic key that would consequently allow access to a certain piece of information.

Cryptographic key management in health

Cryptographic keys are the foundation of cryptography and the security of encrypted data lies in them. Breaches can lead to the compromise of keys and, consequently, the leakage of sensitive information such as patient records.

The increase in the use of encryption for data protection in healthcare institutions, mainly due to government regulation, means that they have to deal with multiple solutions to encrypt data, see LGPD.

Because of the diversity of vendors, organizations also need to define various procedures for managing cryptographic keys, and these are not always adequate.

Cryptographic key management consists of storing, protecting, organizing and ensuring the proper use of cryptographic keys, managing their lifecycle and maintaining backup copies in a secure and consistent manner.

  • Secure storage of keys

The keys should be stored securely, i.e. encrypted and with access control.

Encryption should preferably be performed by means of keys (
KEY
) protected on a cryptographic hardware, preferably.

  • Identification of keys

It should be possible to identify a key, its type, its purpose, who is authorized to use it and the period of use.

Life cycle of cryptographic keys

The lifecycle of cryptographic keys must be controlled so that they are used properly during their validity period – i.e. only authorized persons or systems can use them during a predefined time and with secure mechanisms so that they are not compromised.

We will describe the life cycle of the keys, according to NIST recommendation.

The life cycle of a key starts with generation and ends with destruction, passing through one or more of the states described below:

  • generation: moment of creation of the key, which is not yet ready for use;
  • pre-activation: the key has been generated but is not yet ready for use because it is waiting for the period of use or the issuance of a certificate;
  • activated: the key is available for use;
  • suspended: the use of the key is temporarily suspended. In this state, it can no longer perform ciphering or signing operations, but can be used for data recovery or verification of signatures previously performed.
  • inactivated: the key can no longer be used for ciphering or digital signing, but is kept for processing data ciphered or signed before inactivation.
  • compromised: indicates that the key has its security affected and can no longer be used in cryptographic operations. In some cases, as in symmetric keys, it can be used to recover the encrypted data for later encryption with another key.
  • destroyed: this status indicates that a key is no longer required. The destruction of the key is the final stage and can be achieved due to the end of the key’s usage cycle or the compromise of its security.

Generally speaking, both healthcare institutions and all organizations should focus on continuous improvement while managing their risks at a price that is compatible with their reality.

Companies should critically evaluate how to protect their systems. They should also consider the “root causes” of security incidents in their environments as part of a risk assessment.

As systems become more secure and institutions adopt effective measures to manage their processes, key management becomes increasingly essential. Protecting a healthcare organization’s data is critical to the security of its patients’ information.

About Eval

EVAL has been developing projects in the financial, health, education and industry segments for over 18 years. Since 2004, we have offered Authentication, Electronic and Digital Signature and Data Protection solutions. Currently, we are present in the main Brazilian banks, health institutions, schools and universities, and different industries.

With value recognized by the market, EVAL’s solutions and services meet the highest regulatory standards of public and private organizations, such as SBIS, ITI, PCI DSS, and LGPD. In practice, we promote information security and compliance, increase companies’ operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Innovate now, lead always: get to know Eval’s solutions and services and take your company to the next level.

Eval, safety is value.

Categories
Data Protection

Why is encryption key management important?

Companies are moving more and more sensitive data over the internet and are heavily migrating their infrastructure to the cloud, in different types of service models. As this happens, the need to use and manage encryption keys grows.

Faced with this reality, security professionals actively protect this data with tried and tested techniques, which are used at different stages of an organization’s productivity cycle, always with the aim of guaranteeing privacy.

However, the guarantee of data protection and availability may not be possible through the use of encryption alone.

Even if there is advanced technology against data breaches, without encryption key management, the risk of information being leaked or stolen will still be high.

Why is managing cryptographic keys important?

Management means protecting cryptographic keys against loss, theft, corruption and unauthorized access. Its objectives include:

  • ensure that the keys are kept safe;
  • change the keys regularly;
  • control how and to whom keys are assigned;
  • decide on the granularity of the keys.

In practice, encryption key management means assessing whether a key should be used for all backup tapes or whether, on the other hand, each one should receive its own, for example.

It is therefore necessary to ensure that the cryptographic key – and anything related to it – is properly controlled and protected. So you can’t not think about management.

If everything isn’t properly protected and managed, it’s like having a state-of-the-art lock on your front door but leaving the key under the mat.

To make the importance of cryptographic key management clearer, we only need to remember the four objectives of cryptography: confidentiality, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation. So we see that with it we can protect personal information and confidential corporate data.

In fact, it makes no sense to use technology that guarantees data security without efficient management.

Managing encryption keys is a challenge, but it’s not impossible

In fact, managing cryptographic keys is not as simple as calling a locksmith. You can’t write the keys on a piece of paper either. You need to provide access to as few people as possible and ensure that it is restricted.

Successful crypto management in the corporate world requires good practices on several fronts.

First, you must choose the right encryption algorithm and key size to have confidence in your security.

It must then ensure that the implementation of the corporate encryption strategy complies with the standards established for this algorithm. This means being approved by a recognized certification authority – in the case of Brazil, those approved by the ITI, within ICP-Brasil.

Finally, it must guarantee efficient encryption key management, combined with security policies and processes that can ensure productive use of the technology.

To have greater confidence in your encryption key management strategy, the first questions to ask are the following:

Many management services retain private keys at the service layer, so your data can be accessible to the administrators of this activity. This is great for availability, but not for confidentiality.

So, as with any technology, the efficiency of encryption depends completely on its implementation. If it is not done correctly or if the components used are not properly protected, it is at risk, as is the data.

From policy creation to cryptographic key management

A common approach to protecting company data through encryption key management is to take stock, understand the threats and create a security policy.

Companies need to know which devices and applications are trusted and how policy can be applied between them and in the cloud. It all starts with knowing what you have.

Most organizations don’t know how many keys they have, where they use encryption and which applications and devices are really trustworthy. This undeniably characterizes a total lack of management of encryption keys, data and its structure.

Undoubtedly, the most important part of an encryption system is its key management, especially when the organization needs to encrypt a large amount of data. This makes the infrastructure more complex and challenging.

Standardizing the process is fundamental

The standardization of products is fundamental. After all, even properly implemented encryption means little if an attacker gets into someone’s machine or if an employee is dishonest.

In some cases, for example, encryption can enable an attacker and render the entire security investment useless, causing damage that goes far beyond financial losses. So standardization is vital to creating useful policies and processes, reducing the possibility of loopholes that can result in cyber attacks and data theft.

Encryption really does create more business opportunities for different types of companies, not just by mitigating concerns such as cyber attacks, but by creating an organized, efficient and strategic data access cycle.

Finally, in times of digital transformation and so many technological and market disruptions, adopting encryption key management is vital for companies seeking sustainable growth.

Now you know a little more about cryptographic key management, keep up to date with this subject via our LinkedIn page.

About EVAL

EVAL has been developing projects in the financial, health, education and industry segments for over 18 years. Since 2004, we have offered Authentication, Electronic and Digital Signature and Data Protection solutions. Currently, we are present in the main Brazilian banks, health institutions, schools and universities, and different industries.

With value recognized by the market, EVAL’s solutions and services meet the highest regulatory standards of public and private organizations, such as SBIS, ITI, PCI DSS, and the General Data Protection Law (LGPD). In practice, we promote information security and compliance, increase companies’ operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Innovate now, lead always: get to know Eval’s solutions and services and take your company to the next level.

Eval, safety is value.

Categories
Data Protection

Loss of Keys and the Truth No One Told You

Today, data theft and regulatory compliance requirements have caused a dramatic increase in the use of encryption keys in companies. This also caused an incidence of key loss due to poor management of these assets.

It is very common, for example, for a single company to use several dozen different encryption tools. Possibly these tools are incompatible, thus resulting in thousands of encryption keys.

How to prevent the loss of keys?

In a perfect world, cryptographic key management has the responsibility for the administration, protection, storage, and backup of encryption keys.

After all, every key must be securely stored, protected, and retrievable. However, reality is different and you should know well how this story ends regarding the loss of keys.

The importance of storing and backing up encryption keys

Key management means protecting the encryption keys from loss and unauthorized access.

Many processes must be used to control and manage keys. This includes changing keys regularly, managing how keys are assigned, and who gets them.

Experience shows us that the loss of keys has a major impact on important business processes in companies. This causes loss of access to systems and data, as well as rendering a system completely useless unless it is formatted and completely reinstalled.

It is worth pointing out that nowadays it is essential for any company to have more than one person responsible for storing and backing up the encryption keys.

In this way, we are directed to several good practices in the market. For example, we have defined the roles of the responsible parties and created an efficient encryption key management policy that is accessible to everyone.

However, there is a big challenge ahead. One of the big known problems is the lack of unified tools to reduce management overhead.

A key management system purchased from one vendor cannot manage another vendor’s keys. This is due to the fact that each implements a management mechanism in its own way.

You are probably remembering some facts related to the lack of efficient storage. Including the cases of lost keys and the impacts to the company.

Lost keys expose data of people and companies

The loss or exposure of encryption keys will never be a good experience. Imagine, for example, a developer accidentally storing keys in a public repository?

Unfortunately this scenario is likely, it can easily happen for any type of encryption keys and in different companies.

Someone might accidentally send the keys in a source code or in any file or data set submission.

Whether in the cloud or in owned data centers, companies need to build a management strategy that prevents the loss of keys and/or undue exposure.

As we have seen, keys must be stored securely and with access limited to those who need them to work. For this reason, some companies use key-loss protection applications.

They serve to check network traffic for data leaks. As well as detecting the accidental or malicious disclosure of confidential or private information.

Not only poor key management can lead to compromised servers. But also if the keys used to encrypt data are lost, the data encrypted with that key will also be lost.

Therefore, there is no substitute for encryption key management.

Common situations that lead to the loss of cryptographic keys

Because it is something of relative complexity for certain company employees, you can imagine that the loss of keys does not happen so often. However, there are very common situations in our routines that lead us to key-loss scenarios:

  • The key holder forgets the password to access the key;
  • The employee responsible for the keys does not remember where he stored the key;
  • The manager has a huge amount of keys to manage;
  • The person responsible for the keys leaves the organization, and whoever stays ends up with a big management problem.

The importance of cryptographic keys is obvious to information security professionals. But the complexity of managing them can be almost as daunting as the encryption algorithms themselves.

It all comes down to how important it is for companies to control the keys

First of all, it is important to see what a digital signature is and how it works.

A digital signature is the equivalent of a written signature. Its purpose can be to verify the authenticity of a document or to verify that the sender is who he claims to be.

This shows us the importance of encryption keys in productive processes, as well as the impact generated by the loss of keys in the routines of companies of different segments or sizes.

The main cost of key loss is risk management. This is because it will mainly focus on making companies the target of sophisticated cyber attacks, leading to losses not only financial but also related to the organization’s image.

One of the most recommended practices for reducing incidents related to cyber attacks is to conduct audits. This is because it helps to identify whether the keys are being used in the right way.

This process consists of auditing public key cryptography to identify vulnerable sources and devices, from tokens to TLS certificates.

Available mitigation strategies from vendors can then be reviewed and applied according to risk-based priorities.

The solution to all problems is…

There is no shortage of guidance on how to manage digital identities and how to identify the best option for your company, it all depends on the current environment and available resources.

While using a stronger management policy may be the safest option, this can also result in significant costs. Companies must focus on continuous improvement. In addition, it can help you manage your risks at a price that is compatible with your reality.

Companies must critically evaluate how they protect their systems. They must also consider the root causes of security incidents in their environments as part of a risk assessment.

It is common, for example, to have several security incidents related to compromised accounts. This is mainly due to the lack of proper management of the encryption keys.

As systems become more secure and companies take effective measures to manage their processes. It is worth remembering that initiatives such as authentication and key management are becoming increasingly important.

It is important to ensure that your company is using the appropriate authentication and authorization processes. This requires the use of cryptographic keys based on risk management.

After all, it is already the first step in reducing the risk of incidents and ensuring the confidentiality of customer and employee data.

At the end of our article, answer the following question: What is your company’s current encryption key management strategy?

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About Eval

EVAL has been developing projects in the financial, health, education and industry segments for over 18 years. Since 2004, we have offered Authentication, Electronic and Digital Signature and Data Protection solutions. Currently, we are present in the main Brazilian banks, health institutions, schools and universities, and different industries.

With value recognized by the market, EVAL’s solutions and services meet the highest regulatory standards of public and private organizations, such as SBIS, ITI, PCI DSS, and LGPD. In practice, we promote information security and compliance, increase companies’ operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Innovate now, lead always: get to know Eval’s solutions and services and take your company to the next level.

Eval, safety is value.

Categories
Data Protection

Asymmetric Cryptography for Data Secrecy and Protection

Have you ever stopped to think about the security of your digital data? Emails, bank transactions, instant messages – all of these contain sensitive information that, in the wrong hands, can cause irreparable damage. This is where asymmetric encryption comes in as a real invisible shield for the protection and privacy of your data.

In practice, when we talk about cryptography, it’s very common to think only of techniques for maintaining the secrecy of information.

However, encryption can be used in many other situations. In this post we’ll look at applying asymmetric cryptography techniques to verify the origin of a message.

What is Asymmetric Cryptography and Why Should You Care?

Asymmetric cryptography is a data encryption technique that uses a pair of keys: one public and one private.

While the public key is used to encrypt the data, the private key is used to decrypt it.

This means that only the recipient with the corresponding private key can access the encrypted information.

Undeniable Benefits of Asymmetric Cryptography
  • Robust security: The mathematical complexity involved makes it almost impossible to break the code.
  • Data Integrity: Ensures that data has not been altered during transmission.
  • Authentication: Confirms the identity of the sender and recipient.
  • Non-Repudiation: Makes it impossible for the sender to deny the authenticity of the message sent.
Value Generated by Asymmetric Cryptography

Asymmetric cryptography is not just a security mechanism; it is a strategic asset that adds value to your business.

It strengthens customer confidence, facilitates regulatory compliance and offers a competitive advantage in the market.

Asymmetric Cryptography in Practice

Initially, we need to say that one of the most striking features of asymmetric cryptography is the presence of a key pair, with one part public and the other private.

While the public part can be disclosed to all interested parties, the private part cannot. After all, it must be protected and kept secret by the entity that owns the pair, be it a person or a system. From the origin of a message to its final delivery

This key pair is something very special, because when one of the keys is used to encrypt data, only the partner key of the pair can be used in the reverse process.

And it is this characteristic that makes it possible for various cryptographic schemes to exist in communication between two entities.

Alice and Bob’s messages

To make it easier to understand, let’s use the classic analogy. It presupposes the existence of two users, Alice (A) and Bob (B), each with its own key pair.

Alice and Bob exchange letters (messages) with each other and each letter is placed in an envelope that has a special padlock, which, when closed with one of the keys, can only be opened with the pair’s partner key.

Note that since we have two pairs of keys, one for each user, we have a total of 4 keys that can be used to lock the envelope!

So which key should be used? Well, it depends on which security service you want to implement when sending this letter.

Asymmetric encryption for secrecy

If the desire is to guarantee the secrecy of the letter from the origin of a message, Alice must lock the padlock with Bob’s public key. In this way, the only key capable of opening it is the partner key, i.e. Bob’s private key.

Remember that Bob’s private key, by definition,must be known only to Bob. This way, only Bob can open the padlock on the envelope and take the letter out.

Asymmetric encryption for the origin

If she wants to verify the origin of a message or letter, Alice can lock the envelope using her private key. Thus, the only key that opens the envelope is the partnership key, i.e. Alice’s public key.

Remember that Alice’s public key, by definition, is public knowledge. This way, everyone could open the envelope using Alice’s public key.

Note that in this situation, although the letter is in a sealed envelope with a padlock, the contents are not secret. After all, anyone can open the lock on the envelope using Alice’s public key.

What is required is verification of the origin of the letter (or the sender’s authorship). In other words, for Bob to check if the letter came from Alice, all he has to do is open the padlock with her public key.

Note that in this situation, although the letter is in a sealed envelope with a padlock, the contents are not secret. After all, anyone can open the lock on the envelope using Alice’s public key.

What is required is verification of the origin of the letter (or the sender’s authorship). In other words, for Bob to check if the letter came from Alice, all he has to do is open the padlock with her public key.

Asymmetric vs. Symmetric Cryptography: Which is Better?

Although symmetric encryption is also effective, it has its limitations. In this method, a single key is used to both encrypt and decrypt the data. This makes the system vulnerable, because if the key is compromised, the entire security system collapses.

It is therefore common to see security protocols that use hybrid schemes with symmetric and asymmetric cryptography to implement confidentiality, origin verification, authentication and irretrievability services, taking advantage of the benefits of each: the speed of symmetric cryptography and the flexibility of using asymmetric cryptography.

Crucial Points of Difference
  • Complexity: Asymmetric cryptography is more complex and therefore more secure.
  • Speed: Symmetric encryption is generally faster, but less secure.
  • Key management: Asymmetric cryptography eliminates the need for secure key exchange, which is a challenge in symmetric cryptography.

Asymmetric cryptography is more than a security technique; it is an imperative in the modern age. It offers a level of security and reliability that is second to none, making it the ideal choice for any person or company serious about protecting their data.

Don’t leave your data to chance. Invest in asymmetric encryption and sleep soundly knowing that your information is in safe hands.

We’ve also written an article that may be of interest to you, as it talks about data encryption and its importance in the financial market, click here.

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About Eval

EVAL has been developing projects in the financial, health, education, and industry segments for over 18 years. Since 2004, we have offered solutions for Authentication, Electronic and Digital Signature, and Data Protection. Currently, we are present in the main Brazilian banks, health institutions, schools and universities, and different industries.

With value recognized by the market, EVAL’s solutions and services meet the highest regulatory standards of public and private organizations, such as SBIS, ITI, PCI DSS, and LGPD. In practice, we promote information security and compliance, increase companies’ operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Innovate now, lead always: get to know Eval’s solutions and services and take your company to the next level.

Eval, safety is value.

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