Having the right security measures in place is essential for your business now and going forward. From firewalls to VPNs, to around-the-clock monitoring, every measure counts.
That’s how you prevent piracy, data theft, and criminal sabotage. 128-bit SSL encryption is also on this list. But what exactly is this security protocol and why is it so important?
While your trusted local Atlanta IT company can break it down for you, here are the basics:
What Is 128 Bit Encryption?
To understand the 128 bit SSL encryption meaning, let’s break the term into two parts. First, what does 128 bits mean?
128 bits refers to the encryption key length or session key. In layman’s terms, the longer the length of the encryption key, the more difficult it is for a criminal to crack the code.
So a symmetric key of 128 bits in length has 2 to the 128th power of potential combinations. This would take an unreasonable amount of time for a hacker to guess via a brute force attack.
To put this number into context, let’s look at another encryption key length and how long it would take to infiltrate the information protected by it:
- 56 bits – 400 seconds
- 128 bits – 1.02 x 1018 years
So by doing a little bit more than doubling the length of the encryption key, you are able to almost infinitely increase the amount of time that it takes someone to guess the encryption code.
128 bit encryption would take one billion billion years. Yes, 1 billion x 1 billion years.
In other words, it’s impossible to crack this code any time in the foreseeable future, not even by the fastest supercomputers that exist. Long story short, your data is in safe hands.
Key length is important, but it’s not everything. Having a 128-bit key is much stronger than a 40 or 50-bit encryption key.
But we need to talk about the SSL part of the equation.
SSL Encryption
To implement proper 128-bit SSL encryption, the web server has to be set up properly.
Otherwise, you will not receive the full strength that this encryption certificate can provide.
Validation And First Contact
Let’s discuss how SSL certificates work. When a member of your team visits a website, the website verifies whether or not an SSL certificate has been installed.
Once this is confirmed, both the web browser and the website begin a handshake. This SSL / TLS handshake is a communication process that validates the web browser’s certificate.
This encrypted communication takes place via a process called asymmetric encryption. This is also called public key encryption.
This encryption model requires two keys. One key is for the encryption and the other key is for the decryption of data.
While both keys are related, they are mathematically different. Only the server providing the information, aka the website or application, knows the private key.
This is how it keeps that information safe and prohibits access unless an authorized user is trying to read it.
Elaborating On The Encryption Process
Encrypted connections take slightly longer to go through. However, the few extra seconds are more than worth the wait.
It protects your data in infinitely more ways. However, part of the security protocol, called the session key, helps speed the process up.
This is a unique key that’s only generated while a connection is ongoing and secure. This allows for symmetric encryption.
Going back to the 128 bits, this is the length of the symmetric encryption key. When you use 128 bit SSL encryption, you are getting the best of both worlds: security and speed.
The Best Atlanta IT Company For 128 Bit Encryption
JETT Business Technology can protect your company’s data using 128 bit SSL encryption. In addition, you can have peace of mind with a 360 degree data security strategy. Reach out today and discover how your sensitive data can be secured in a dangerous world.
