Data Security and Integrity Processes*

• What is symmetric encryption?

  Encryption method where the same key is used for both encryption and decryption.
• What is asymmetric encryption?

  Encryption method that uses different keys for encryption and decryption.
• What are the advantages of symmetric encryption?

  • Fewer keys to generate.
  • Keys are easier to generate.
  • Faster to encrypt.
  • The longer the key, the more secure the algorithm.
  • Most suitable for encrypting documents on your computer.
  • Both the sender and receiver must know the key.
  • Single key encryption can be faster in use. Double key encryption takes longer to encrypt and decrypt as more calculations are needed.
• What are the advantages of asymmetric encryption?

  • Anybody can have access to the encrypt key but decrypt can be restricted.
  • Not everyone has access to both keys.
  • More secure than symmetric.
  • Most suitable for online transactions.
  • More secure to prevent packet interception.
  • Avoids the security risk of keys going public.
• Security problem with symmetric encryption is that the key could be intercepted or misused.