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A process that transforms readable information into protected data that can be read correctly only through the appropriate decryption method and key.
Save conceptEncryption transforms readable information into data that cannot ordinarily be understood without the appropriate means to decrypt it. A key is information used in that process, not necessarily a password someone types. Cryptography is the broader field that includes encryption and other methods for protecting information or verifying authenticity.
An encryption algorithm specifies how a key and information are used to create protected data and recover the original. Some systems use a shared secret key; others use different public and private keys for related operations. Security depends on the method, suitable keys and correct implementation. Merely describing something as encrypted does not establish that all these elements are secure.
Suppose a hypothetical organisation encrypts a file before storing it on a computer. Someone who obtains a copy of the protected file still needs the appropriate key and decryption process to read its contents. If the attacker also steals the key, that protection may fail. This example separates access to stored data from access to the secret needed to interpret it.
Encryption does not solve every security problem. It does not by itself decide which user should be authorised or prevent theft after an authorised system decrypts the information. The future quantum threat also differs by cryptographic method. Post-quantum cryptography develops methods intended to withstand quantum attacks; it need not run on a .
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