The use of online transactions offers various benefits to users, particularly when it comes to financial transactions. In addition to money transfers, users can conveniently pay bills such as electricity and water bills, as well as purchase credit for daily needs such as internet or phone packages. Online transactions have become an efficient choice that helps individuals, especially during the pandemic when mobility restrictions are in place.
The use of online transactions provides various benefits to users, especially when it comes to financial transactions. In addition to money transfers, users can easily pay bills such as electricity and water, as well as purchase prepaid credits for daily needs like internet or phone packages. Online transactions have become an efficient and helpful choice for individuals, particularly during the pandemic that has imposed mobility restrictions.
However, the use of internet technology, including online transactions, always has the potential to face cybersecurity threats. The threat comes from actors who try to break into the system and steal personal data for their own benefit. Therefore, an effective security method is needed to protect data from being easily accessed by unauthorized parties.
One of the methods that can be used to ensure data security is data encryption. Encryption is the process of transforming data into a code that is difficult to decipher, making the data unreadable to anyone who does not have the proper access key. The key is typically known only to the creator of the document or data.
By using encryption, data transmitted through online transactions will be well-protected, ensuring that only the intended recipient with the proper key can read it. Thus, data encryption becomes a crucial step in enhancing the security of online transactions and safeguarding user privacy.
To ensure data security, there are two encryption methods that can be chosen and tailored to the user’s needs. Before explaining these two encryption methods, it is important to understand some common terminology used in encryption:
The original data to be sent to the recipient is referred to as plaintext. It is then subjected to a specific treatment to transform it into a code that is difficult to read, commonly known as ciphertext. There are two encryption methods that can be used to secure data: symmetric cryptography (private key) and asymmetric cryptography (public key).
In asymmetric encryption method, two different keys are required to encrypt and decrypt data. The first key is called the public key, which can be shared with or distributed to many people. The second key is called the private key, which must be kept confidential and only owned by the intended recipient. The private key is used to encrypt data, while the public key is used to decrypt data. These two keys are systematically linked to each other.
For example, A (sender) wants to send a certain amount of data to B (recipient). A encrypts the data using their own public key and then sends it to B. B will decrypt the data using their private key, which is only known to them.
Unlike public key encryption that uses two keys for the encryption and decryption processes, private key encryption only requires one key to perform both. For example, when A (sender) wants to send data to B (recipient), A needs to share the private key with B before the data is encrypted or sent. By using the private key, both parties can perform the encryption and decryption processes using the same key.
In implementing the data encryption process, there are various methods that can be used. Encryption methods continue to evolve alongside technological advancements. The development of encryption methods also affects the required key length (bit length) to protect the data. Generally, the key lengths used for private keys are around 128 bits and 256 bits, while for public keys, the key length is typically around 2048 bits.
The following are several encryption methods and their explanations:
Message-Digest Algorithm 2 (MD2), also known as MD2, is one of the popular encryption methods used in 8-bit computers. This method complies with the internet standard established by RFC 1319. MD2 encryption is commonly used in public key infrastructure and was in use until 2004 before being replaced by newer encryption methods.
MD4 is a development of MD2 with a key length of 128 bits. The MD4 encryption method is often used to compute the NT hash, which is the encrypted representation of a password used in Microsoft Windows NT, XP, and Vista operating systems. It provides a cryptographic hash function for password storage and verification purposes. However, it is important to note that MD4 is considered to be a weak cryptographic algorithm and is no longer recommended for secure applications due to vulnerabilities and advancements in cryptographic attacks. It has been largely replaced by more secure hash functions such as MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256.
In this context, a hash is an algorithm that converts data information into encrypted characters of a fixed size. Hashes are used in general to perform password hashing, which secures passwords by converting them into a hash value. Some commonly used hash algorithms are MD5 and SHA1.
MD5 (Message Digest Algorithm 5) is an updated version of MD4 that is considered more secure. The MD5 encryption method uses a 128-bit hash value. MD5 is widely used in security applications and file integrity checks. MD5 is used as a tool to ensure security and verify the integrity of a file.
MD5, SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm) is a series of cryptographic techniques developed directly by the National Security Agency (NSA) and published by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) to ensure data security. SHA functions to protect data from hacking by providing a hash that cannot be read without the appropriate decryption or key.
RC4 is a stream cipher encryption algorithm designed to perform encryption and decryption processes on a bit-by-bit basis. The algorithm was developed by Ron Rivest in 1987 with the aim of enhancing the security of the RSA encryption method. RC4 can be used as an additional security layer to secure data transmitted through the RSA protocol.
RC4 has been widely used in various security applications in Indonesia. The strength of RC4 lies in its speed and efficiency in encrypting and decrypting data. The algorithm is capable of generating strong keys that are not easily guessed by unauthorized parties. In the context of data security in Indonesia, RC4 can be used to protect sensitive information such as financial data, personal data, and electronic communications. The use of RC4 in Indonesia continues to grow in line with the increasing need for data security in the digital era.
Base64 is an encryption method used to encode binary data into ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) format. This method allows binary data to be represented using specific characters, enabling the data to be transmitted via email, stored in databases, or files. Base64 is often used to conceal sensitive data such as passwords, ensuring that the data is not directly readable by unauthorized individuals.
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