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diff --git a/teaching/encryption/01-encryption-101-basics.md b/teaching/encryption/01-encryption-101-basics.md new file mode 100755 index 0000000..082016c --- /dev/null +++ b/teaching/encryption/01-encryption-101-basics.md @@ -0,0 +1,70 @@ +Title: 01. Encryption 101: Basics +Date: 2013-07-26 20:31 +Category: Data Privacy +Tags: Guides +Slug: 01-encryption-101-basics +Status: published + +If you haven't lived under a rock for the past few weeks you'll have +heard about the NSA and PRISM essentially spying spying on the entire +world. Now, I will write an article about why this is actually upsetting +and there are good reasons to protect ones privacy even if you have +"nothing to hide". In this tutorial I want to show you that encrypting +your communications and computers is a good way to protect yourself but +hardly the only thing you can do. And even if you encrypt everything in +your life you will leave behind a lot of meta data on the internet. +Enough to reconstruct what you were doing, what you think, who you would +vote for etc. + +In this series I want to show you a little bit how you can protect +yourself. However, in this first post I want to explain you the basics +of cryptography. I won't go into detail about mathematical constructs, +you can read that on Wikipedia. But as an average person you won't need +that. Let's begin. + +There are different ways how to encrypt things. The two big ways I want +to talk about now is **symmetric** and **asymmetric** encryption. + +Let's look at symmetric encryption first: + + + +In symmetric encryption the user creates a key. That key is then being +used to encrypt but also decrypt a file. This makes the process of +encryption and decryption very fast, however also creates the problem +that the key needs to be transferred safely. If somebody got hold of the +key they could encrypt and decrypt files that they might not be able to. +Symmetric encryption is great for hard drive and large chunks of data. + +However this isn't very practical in communication with others. You want +others to be able to encrypt messages sending to you but be the only one +that can decrypt them again. This is the basic idea of asymmetric +encryption. The following schematic will explain. + + + +There is a pair of keys: one public, one private. The public key is +being used to encrypt a file. In practise this is the key that you send +out to other people. They encrypt the messages they send to you and then +send them to you. +The private key is the one you keep to yourself (private) and under no +circumstances send to any computer or device. Only transport it on +offline drives like USB sticks, SD cards or external hard drives. This +is the key that will allow you to decrypt messages sent to you. + +If you use asymmetric encryption in your communication you can encrypt +messages for others with their public keys and decrypt messages others +sent you with your private key. + + + +In following tutorials I will quickly show you how to encrypt messages +using PGP on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux, how to encrypt your hard drive +on Mac and Windows and also how to use encrypted instant messaging +services. After that I will show you ways to stay anonymous on the +internet and leave behind fewer clues about who you are and what you +were doing. Even if you have nothing to hide that doesn't mean that you +need to invite everybody into your private life! + +P.S. This tutorial series was inspired by my brothers short descriptions +about security [here](http://www.leandersabel.de/itsecurity/). |