For information providers, use of unprotected wireless networks is tantamount to free broadcasting. Electronic commerce, over any type of network, has equally obvious security requirements. Neither individuals nor businesses will be able to trust their transactions to electronic systems without the assurance that their dealings are private and free of tampering. Security Through Encryption Encryption-based security systems offer strong countermeasures to these threats. While no system can be built to withstand any conceivable attack, the technology exists today to make the cost of successfully attacking a network far greater than any possible return.
Digital encryption is an extremely complex method of scrambling information.
It relies on mathematical formulas, or algorithms, that require a computer or specially designed integrated circuit to implement. Even a basic personal computer can implement encryption systems that offer millions upon millions of possible scrambling sequences. The only practical way of unlocking the encrypted information is with the appropriate encryption key. The basic security required for the services described above are data privacy or confidentiality, data integrity, access control and authentication. All can be provided through encryption-based systems.