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Data Protection (Encryption)

Encryption

Everything seems to be done on computers these days.  Hundreds of thousands of pages of data and intellectual property can be stored on a hard drive as big as a paperback book.  UNC now has a way to protect this data. SafeGuard hard drive encryption for your computer can protect information on your computer even if the computer is stolen or goes missing.  Computers with student data, intellectual property, or financial information will be protected from data thieves. Visit http://www.unco.edu/it/security/encryption.htm for more information.

What is it?

Encryption is the process of encoding (locking) information in such a way that only the person (or computer) with the key can decode (unlock) it.  Computer encryption is based on the science of cryptography, which has been used throughout history. Before the digital age, the biggest users of cryptography were governments, particularly for military purposes. The existence of coded messages has been verified as far back as the Roman Empire. But most forms of cryptography in use these days rely on computers, simply because a human-based code is too easy for a computer to crack.

How does it work?

When encrypting a computer, software will encrypt all the data on a computer’s hard disk in a way so it is unreadable, or locked.  After the data is locked, no one can access the data without a key in UNC’s case this is your Personal Digital ID (PDID).

Examples of encryption in history:

The US military began using Native Americans as voice encryptors for military communications during World War I. The Marines perfected use of these human encryptors during World War II as they used Navajo speakers, known as "codetalkers". The Navajo speakers' codes were not broken during the war. During World War II, the German’s and their allies used a device called the Enigma Machine to encrypt and decrypt secret messages. Messages were encrypted by transposing letters using a machine.  The Allies were able to break the German’s code and access German plans.  It is estimated that, by using the plans, the war in Europe was ended two years earlier than it would have been if the plans hadn’t been cracked.

Encryption Today

In e-commerce:

• Authentication of users, which allows merchants to verify that the customer is the real owner of the credit card being used
• Insures that the transmissions are not changed or read by a third party
• Confirms that the customers or merchants who sent the message were, in fact, the parties who claimed to send or receive the message
• Ensures that in the event that the information is intercepted, third parties are unable to read or use the information to their own advantage

When companies or government agencies store personal data on hardware, and that hardware is stolen, encryption will help prevent identity theft.  For example, if a company has personal information stored on hardware that goes missing, they do not have to worry about that information getting out if it is encrypted – no one can see it because they don’t have the key.

Is Encryption a cure-all for Digital Security?

NO!!!  Encryption requires that you protect your PDID.  Your PDID is the key to unlocking encryption, and if you have it, for example, on a post-it note taped to your computer screen, the encryption is useless.  For more information on passwords, how to pick a good one, and how to protect them, visit: http://www.unco.edu/it/security/passwords.htm http://www.unco.edu/it/security/moreinfopasswords.htm http://www.unco.edu/it/security/PasswordProcedure(2).pdf