What does encryption do for me?

Encryption and cryptographic software have been used in many ways to make systems more secure.  This article discusses only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure, including:

• Encrypting your email
• Encrypting your files

Programs that will help encrypt information are mentioned. There are many more programs out there that will help, but these programs are good and a good place to start. They have the added benefit of being free and having source codes available.

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information?

Encryption makes it harder for people to access important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the algorithm used to encrypt can be simple or more complex, affecting how securely what you have encrypted is protected.  Encryption systems have been broken when hackers understand the encryption method, and it is easy to break. 

Why bother to encrypt my email?

It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons:  first, electronic data can be accessed easily over the Internet, and second, electronic data is really simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best intentions to stop it.

How do I go about encrypting my email?

There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your email.  A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu offshoot GPG.  

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This “is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn’t have: Privacy.

“PGP achieves this by encrypting your email, ensuring that only the intended recipient can access it. When encrypted, the message appears as a random jumble of characters, making it extremely difficult to decipher. PGP has effectively thwarted even the most advanced attempts to analyze and decrypt the text.”

Why bother to encrypt my files?

The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer.  If you have financial data with important information like social security numbers, email addresses, account numbers, and passwords, you open yourself up to losing valuable information.  Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet, you are vulnerable.

How do I go about encrypting my files?

AxCrypt File Encryption Software  (https://axcrypt.sourceforge.net/) is Described as “Free Personal Privacy and Security for Windows 98/ME/NT/2K/XP with AES-128 File Encryption, Compression, and transparent Decrypt and Open in the original application.”

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