Security Via Technology

Information security as well as security in general has been forced to evolve over the past few decades. Home security in the early 1970s was achieved by a barking dog, and deadbolt locks and in extreme cases and higher crime areas, perhaps a firearm. Computer security during that time was the same as mentioned above, completed through the physical security measures that the homeowner provided and in the sense of commercial and military use, security was instituted by guarded rooms and perhaps administrative measures such as challenge and password combinations. Computer communication was slow and gradual, but as the effectiveness and efficiency of the computing environment became more and more evident and the ability to network computers in addition to the World Wide Web also did the need for the ability to conceal specific information being contained, processed and communicated amongst or between computers. Very similar to the reasoning and usage behind efforts of governments during World War II to pass confidential information to their combat units dispersed throughout the world in order to gain tactical advantages - it is that general principle that prompted businesses and corporations to communicate with their business partners; in hopes to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors.

Maintaining the information triad of Confidentiality, Availability, and Information Integrity is the goal. Public key cryptography is the processes provide a means for information to only be seen, used, or manipulated by only parties which the sender has intended and identified to have access to the information through the sender encrypting the information using a public key and the receiver decrypting the information using a private key. A certificate Authority (CA) server will validate the authenticity of the identities of the pre-registered parties. The combination of having to use both a public key and private key make this a preferred encryption method. The...