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Encryption is everywhere these days — from the messenger on your smartphone to protecting files or disks on your PC using encryption. You may have heard terms like “AES-256” or “military-grade security” and wondered what they mean and how truly unbreakable these systems are. In this guide, you will learn all the essential information about encryption security step by step. We will start with the basics for beginners, compare symmetric and asymmetric methods, and introduce modern algorithms such as AES, RSA, and ECC. Then we will examine how secure AES-256 really is — theoretically and in practice. You will learn why randomness is so important and why fake random number generators pose a huge threat. We will talk about real backdoors in cryptosystems — what is myth and what is reality — and discuss risks that even strong encryption cannot handle (for example, weak passwords or social engineering). Of course, you will also get practical advice for everyday use: how to properly apply encryption, what to pay attention to in tools, and recommendations for trusted programs (such as VeraCrypt, Signal).

But before we begin, let me say one thing: strong encryption is not rocket science. When used correctly, it is one of the most powerful tools to protect data from prying eyes. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) emphasizes that encryption is “the best technology we have to protect our digital security.” In that spirit, let’s start with the basics.

1. Basics of Encryption

At its core, “encryption” means transforming information so that without a certain secret (key), it becomes incomprehensible. Only someone who has the correct key can transform the ciphertext (encrypted text) back into the original plaintext. This is also called cryptography — the art of secret communication. From ancient times (think Caesar cipher) to modern digital encryption, much has changed, but the principle remains similar: you need a key and a set of rules (algorithm) for encrypting and decrypting data.

Imagine a simple example: you want to encrypt a message so that only your friend can read it. You both agree on a secret code, for example, that each letter is replaced by the next one in the alphabet. This simple scheme is the algorithm, and the “shift by one letter” is the key. So “HELLO” becomes “IFMMP.” Your friend, knowing the key, easily shifts it back, while an outsider without the key sees only gibberish. Modern methods, of course, are much more complex but follow the same basic principle: Key + Algorithm = Reliable Encryption.

Symmetric and Asymmetric Methods

In cryptography, there are two main types of encryption: symmetric and asymmetric. The main difference lies in how keys are handled:

Symmetric encryption: Here, the same key is used for both encryption and decryption. In other words, the sender and receiver must share this secret in advance. It’s like two people having the same key to a house: one locks the door, the other unlocks it. Symmetric methods are fast and suitable for large amounts of data. The drawback is that the key must be securely shared with communication partners so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. In a small closed group, this is possible, but in a large open network (like the internet for email), distributing the key to everyone is very inconvenient. An ancient example of symmetric encryption is the Caesar shift, which replaces each letter with another. From a modern perspective, this is a very weak method, but it illustrates the basic idea of a shared secret.

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