# Introduction

Encryption is a security method in which information is encoded in such a way that only authorized user can read it. It uses encryption algorithm to generate ciphertext that can only be read if decrypted.

We live in a world where computers and the internet are nearly everywhere. With that comes the fact that individuals and companies are facing a rapidly increasing online thread[:](http://www.information-age.com/rise-cyber-crime-continues-accelerate-123467629/) cybercrime.

The market is bigger than ever before, making the internet the new (and profitable) frontier for (cyber) criminals. That means that protecting our digital presence is of utmost importance, and encryption is an important security measure.

For example, email software, online banking, webshops, hotel websites and news websites are just a few examples of the vast quantity of platforms that use encryption to protect data.

The method of protecting information by encrypting it isn’t a recent solution. The Greeks and Egyptians used cryptography thousands of years ago to protect important messages from unwanted eyes.

That being said, the techniques and methods are very different and more advanced in today’s digital world in order to protect and secure our data.

Encryption is used to make sure that important data can’t be stolen or abused for fraudulent activities by hackers.

### Benefits of Cryptography

The primary purpose of Cryptography is to protect the confidentiality of digital data stored on computer systems or transmitted via the internet or any other computer network. A number of organizations and standards bodies either recommend or require sensitive data to be encrypted in order to prevent unauthorized third parties or threat actors from accessing the data. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requires merchants to encrypt customers' payment card data when it is both stored at rest and transmitted across public networks.


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