Data Encryption

ALSO CALLED: File Encryption, Electronic Security, Database Encryption, Data-encryption, Data Encription, Data Base Encryption, Encryption, Encryption Security
DEFINITION: Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, called a ciphertext, that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people. Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form, so it can be understood.The use of encryption/decryption is as old as the art of communication. In wartime, a cipher, often incorrectly called a code, can be employed to keep the enemy from  … 
Definition continues below.

DATA ENCRYPTION DEFINITION (continued): …  obtaining the contents of transmissions. (Technically, a code is a means of representing a signal without the intent of keeping it secret; examples are Morse code and ASCII.) Simple ciphers include the substitution of letters for numbers, the rotation of letters in the alphabet, and the "scrambling" of voice signals by inverting the sideband frequencies. More complex ciphers work according to sophisticated computer algorithms that rearrange the data bits in digital signals.In order to easily recover the contents of an encrypted signal, the correct decryption key is required. The key is an algorithm … 
Data Encryption definition sponsored by SearchSecurity.com, powered by WhatIs.com an online computer dictionary