TOP SECRET

TOP SECRET

Until recent times, secret codes usually involved governments, ambassadors, spies, and the military. But not anymore. With the advent of computers and the Internet, valuable data are often kept secret by a number of elements, including passwords, which are authenticated every time users access their records. Indeed, never before has secrecy played such a big role in everyday life.

But, is logical that we ask: How safe is my confidential data? Can I do more to heighten security?

Secret Scripts

The objective of steganography is to hide the very existence of the message.
Modern forms of steganography include using the microdot and watermarking paper and images for copyright protection. Today, people who peddle illegal pornography employ a similar concept. Aided by computer software, they hide pictures in otherwise innocuous digital images, text, or sound files.

Because the existence of the message itself is kept secret, steganography does not draw attention to either the carrier or the recipient. On the other hand, if the message is discovered, it can be read—unless it has also been encrypted.

Hiding the Meaning

Cryptology, or hidden word, is the science of keeping communications confidential by concealing, not the fact of the message, but its meaning. The process involves scrambling and unscrambling data according to a predetermined system of rules, thus only those parties who have the key are enabled to decrypt the message.
The European Renaissance provided the means for more sophisticated advances in cryptography.
By the 15th century, cryptography was becoming a routine tool of European diplomats. But it did not always guarantee security.


Technology Enters the Fray

In today’s digital world, banking, money transfers, and payments as well as medical, corporate, and government records are secured by means of complex encryptions. The cipher text, in turn, is read by those who have the necessary decryption key to restore the data to its original form.

A digital key is a string of zeros and ones in various combinations. Longer keys have more combinations and are thus harder to crack. The present standard for encrypted Web browsing is 128-bit keys, which have 4.7 sextillion times more permutations than 56-bit keys!

Still, security breaches do occur. In 2008, for instance, federal prosecutors in the United States charged 11 men with what is thought to be the largest-ever case of identity theft. The group allegedly used laptop computers, wireless technology, and special software to capture numbers from credit cards and debit cards used for payment at cash registers.

Is Your Confidential Data Safe?

To be sure, the encryptions protecting your bank accounts and online transactions are extremely hard to crack. Yet, much also depends on you. So be shrewd and “conceal” yourself, as it were, from fraud and theft by doing at least the following:

- Use antivirus software on your computer.

- Employ a spyware-detection program.

- Install a firewall.

- Keep all of the above continually updated, and install security updates for your applications and operating system.

- Beware of links or attachments in e-mail or instant messages, especially if the mail is unsolicited and asks for personal information or for verification of a password.

- When transmitting sensitive data, such as credit card details, use encrypted connections, and log off the Web site when you have finished.%

- Choose passwords that are hard to guess, and protect them.

- Do not copy or run software from unknown sources.

- Regularly back up your files, and safely store the copies.

- If you follow those basic precautions and apply any others that may be advisable now and in the future, you at least improve your chances of winning your own battle for confidentiality and security.