Encryption and key management overview - Microsoft Service Assurance (2024)

FAQs

What is encryption and key management? ›

Encryption key management is the administration of policies and procedures for protecting, storing, organizing, and distributing encryption keys. Encryption keys (also called cryptographic keys) are the strings of bits generated to encode and decode data and voice transmissions.

BitLocker is a Windows security feature that provides encryption for entire volumes, addressing the threats of data theft or exposure from lost, stolen, or inappropriately decommissioned devices.

Encryption: Symmetric encryption keys, Asymmetric encryption keys (public and private). Authentication of End Devices: Pre-shared symmetric keys, Trusted certificates, Trust Anchors. Data Origin Authentication: HMAC.

Key management refers to management of cryptographic keys in a cryptosystem. This includes dealing with the generation, exchange, storage, use, crypto-shredding (destruction) and replacement of keys. It includes cryptographic protocol design, key servers, user procedures, and other relevant protocols.

There are different types of encryption techniques, but the following three are the most common and widely used: Symmetric Encryption, Asymmetric Encryption, and Hashing.

One of the keys is typically known as the private key and the other is known as the public key. The private key is kept secret by the owner and the public key is either shared amongst authorised recipients or made available to the public at large.

Encrypting an email message in Outlook means it's converted from readable plain text into scrambled cipher text. Only the recipient who has the private key that matches the public key used to encrypt the message can decipher the message for reading.

With Microsoft 365, your data is encrypted at rest and in transit, using several strong encryption protocols, and technologies that include Transport Layer Security/Secure Sockets Layer (TLS/SSL), Internet Protocol Security (IPSec), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

Keys in early forms of encryption

"Ifmmp" looks like a nonsensical string of letters, but if someone knows the key, they can substitute the proper letters and decrypt the message as "Hello." For this example, the key is (letter) - 1, moving each letter down one spot in the alphabet to arrive at the real letter.

Where should an encryption key be stored? ›

Where possible, encryption keys should be stored in a separate location from encrypted data. For example, if the data is stored in a database, the keys should be stored in the filesystem.

What is public key cryptography? Public key cryptography is a method of encrypting or signing data with two different keys and making one of the keys, the public key, available for anyone to use. The other key is known as the private key. Data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key.

"The data owner himself, herself or itself should always handle encryption keys."

For example, if encryption keys are stored insecurely or are easily guessable, attackers can gain unauthorized access to the keys and decrypt the encrypted data. This can result in data breaches and privacy violations.

In cryptography, a key is a string of characters used within an encryption algorithm for altering data so that it appears random. Like a physical key, it locks (encrypts) data so that only someone with the right key can unlock (decrypt) it.

(Encryption) Key management is important when dealing with security and privacy protection of the data contained, in order to prevent data loss/breach/contamination and comply with the relevant regulatory requirements.

Key Management is the process of putting certain standards in place to ensure the security of cryptographic keys in an organization. Key Management deal with the creation, exchange, storage, deletion, and refreshing of keys. They also deal with the members access of the keys.

Decryption is like the secret code to unraveling a locked box. It's the process of converting encrypted data back into its original, understandable form.