A Brief Discussion on the Best Encryption Strategy for Protecting Data Security

Encryption is a technique for converting information from a readable format to a scrambled string, aimed at preventing the leakage of confidential data during data transmission. Documents, files, messages, and other forms of network communication can all be encrypted. Combining encryption policies with authentication services can also allow access to confidential enterprise information only to authorized users. Common data encryption methods include symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption. Symmetric encryption refers to the use of the same key for encryption and decryption, hence it is called symmetric encryption, which has only one key and is used as the private key. Asymmetric encryption refers to the use of different keys for encryption and decryption, one as the public key and the other as the private key. Information encrypted with a public key can only be decrypted with a private key, while information encrypted with a private key can only be decrypted with a public key.

From the perspective of the state of data, the data that enterprises need to protect is usually divided into three forms. Static data is data that is not frequently updated in a stable storage system. Enterprises typically store this type of data in encrypted form and locate and catalog sensitive information stored throughout the entire enterprise. Static data encryption is like locking important files in a safe, only those who have the key can access them, and similarly, only those who have the encryption key can access static data. Encrypting static data can protect it from data breaches, unauthorized access, and physical theft. Without a key, even if the data is obtained, it has no actual value. Implementing encryption solutions is the simplest way for enterprises to protect static data from employee factors. Enterprises can consider using native data encryption tools provided by operating systems to encrypt employee hard drives, such as Windows BitLocker and macOS FileVault. In this way, even if an employee's device is stolen, the data will not be leaked without an encryption key, and even if the computer is started using USB, the encrypted data cannot be obtained. In addition to internal factors, enterprises should also fully consider the security issues caused by physical factors. The primary task is to carry out comprehensive physical security measures to ensure the security of devices and storage media storing confidential data, making it difficult for attackers to access and steal confidential data. For example, if confidential data of an enterprise is stored in databases, computer rooms, and other scenarios, it is necessary to do a good job in the physical security of that area.

Dynamic data is data that moves through any internal or external network. If data is not encrypted during transmission between devices, it may be intercepted, stolen, or leaked, so dynamic data needs to be encrypted to prevent man in the middle attacks. Whenever data is transmitted through any internal or external network, it should always be encrypted. Common methods include transmission security protocols such as SSL, HTTPS, and IPsec. TLS/SSL is the most commonly used dynamic data encryption method. The Secure Transport Layer Protocol (TLS) is used to provide confidentiality and data integrity between two communication applications, while SSL ensures security communication between clients and servers through mutual authentication, the use of digital signatures to ensure integrity, and the use of encryption to ensure privacy. HTTPS is a transmission protocol for secure communication over computer networks, using HTTP for communication and SSL/TLS to establish a full channel and encrypt data packets. The main purpose of HTTPS is to provide authentication of website servers, while protecting the privacy and integrity of exchanged data, and safeguarding users from man in the middle attacks and eavesdropping. IPsec is a collection of protocols and services that provide security for IP networks, and is also a commonly used technology in VPNs. Due to the lack of integrated security features in IP packets, IP data packets may face risks of forgery, theft, or tampering when transmitted over public networks such as the Internet. Both parties establish an IPsec tunnel through which IP packets are encrypted and transmitted, effectively ensuring the security of data transmission in an insecure network environment. For dynamic data protection, data should be encrypted before being transmitted over the network. If data is transmitted through a connection, encryption should be used first to protect the connection. For example, if data is transmitted between two hosts, a VPN can be used to establish a secure connection between the two hosts before transmitting the data.

The data in use is data that is being generated, updated, processed, erased, or viewed through various endpoint interfaces. When protecting data in use, encryption should be used as much as possible to encrypt the data, and appropriate security measures should be taken to ensure that the data in use is not accessed by unauthorized users.

When establishing the optimal security strategy, SSL decryption is an important task. Some security devices may not be able to decrypt and detect SSL/TLS traffic, which can cause these encrypted traffic to wander directly across the entire network and cannot be monitored. Taking a firewall as an example, if HTTPS is used between the client and server, any data has already become encrypted, and the relevant security content functions on the firewall may not take effect. For example, the antivirus function mainly relies on identifying supported protocols, extracting features from traffic, matching features in the virus database, and then conducting relevant security content checks; The principle behind the effectiveness of certain IPS is similar, which relies on the collection of a huge signature feature library to review relevant traffic. So if the data is encrypted by the SSL layer, security features like the ones mentioned above are useless. About 50% of security attacks in the network will be carried out through SSL channels, and many traditional security devices will face serious challenges. Only by parsing these encrypted traffic can security devices defend themselves well. The importance of SSL decryption is self-evident.

Key management is equally crucial. If the keys and certificates are not protected, the confidential information of the enterprise is vulnerable to attacks. So the relevant personnel in charge must have a thorough understanding of the enterprise key. They not only need to know the system, usage, or responsible person for granting access to the key and certificate, but also need to know the keys and certificates used in the network, the personnel authorized to access them, and other detailed information. It is recommended to centrally manage keys and certificates so that relevant personnel can have a comprehensive view of the enterprise key situation.

Certificate management cannot be ignored either. To ensure security, every system connected to the Internet requires at least one digital certificate. That is to say, maintaining PKI for a company or business unit typically requires administrators to manage hundreds or even thousands of certificates. Each individual certificate also needs to pay attention to the certificate date, issuance by multiple certificate issuing agencies, and other factors. In order to maintain the validity of certificates, administrators must also constantly check these certificates. To prevent the system from being filled with various unnecessary certificates, administrators must control who can apply for and approve certificates. All of these processes cannot be achieved manually, so enterprises need specialized certificate management solutions.

Hardware security module HSM is a hardware device that can be used for secure management and storage of keys, and can provide password calculation operations. This module is generally connected to the main device through extensions or external devices. HSM is a tamper proof and intrusion resistant hardware used to protect stored keys while allowing authorized users to use them, acting as a trust anchor in the system.

Overall, encryption is not a single tool, but a set of strategies that cover the entire lifecycle of data. Enterprises need to simultaneously pay attention to static data, dynamic data, and data in use, and combine SSL decryption, key management, certificate management, and hardware security modules to more effectively reduce the risks of confidential information leakage, unauthorized access, and network attacks.