CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
1.0.0
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
In
the past, security was simply a matter of locking the door or storing files in
a locked filing cabinet or safe. Today, paper is no longer the only medium of
choice for housing information. Files are stored in computer databases as well
as file cabinets. Hard drives and floppy disks hold many of our secret
information.
In
the physical world, security is a fairly simple concept. If the locks on your
house’s doors and windows are so strong that a thief cannot break in to steal
your belongings, the house is secure. For further protection against intruders
breaking through the locks, you might have security alarms. Similarly, if
someone tries to fraudulently withdraw money from your bank account but the
teller asks for identification and does not trust the thief’s story, your money
is secure. When you sign a contract with another person, the signatures are the
legal driving force that impels both parties to honor their word.
In the digital world, security works in a similar way. One concept
is privacy, meaning that no one
can break into files to read your sensitive data (such as medical records) or
steal money (by, for example, obtaining credit card numbers or online brokerage
accounts information). Privacy is the lock on the door. Another concept, data integrity, refers to a mechanism
that tells us when something has been altered. That’s the alarm. By applying
the practice of authentication, we
can verify identities. That’s comparable to the ID required to withdraw money
from a bank account (or conduct a transaction with an online broker). And
finally, non repudiation is a
legal driving force that impels people to honor their word.
As the Internet becomes a more pervasive part of daily life, the
need for e-security becomes even more critical. Any organization engaged in
office automation or online activity must assess and manage the e-security
risks associated with this activity. Effective use of cryptographic techniques
is at the core of many of these risk-management strategies. The most important
security tool is cryptography which is the study of encryption and decryption.
1.1.0 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The formal method of safe guiding computer data and information
post many disastrous problems as follows:
ü
Unauthorized
access: skilled hacker who is able to break into any computer system can
read and understands the content of sensitive data/information in the system,
compromising the privacy of the data.
ü
Unauthorized
data alteration: alteration of data during transmission across a network
without detecting the change in the original
message.
1.2.0 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this
project is to develop computer security system for data encryption and
decryption; this work will help protect computer files and information from
harm and unauthorized user. The objectives of this study are:
a.
To provide and improve the computer data security through
encryption of data.
b.
To provide a means of
safeguarding data in a system
c.
To enhance the integrity of data
d.
To facilitate the use of more sophisticated tool against hacking,
cracking, bugging of a system files.
e.
To develop a platform to complement physical file security.
1.3.0 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Computer Security has been defined as the art of protecting
computer system and information from harm and unauthorized user .The most
important security tool beyond human integrity used is cryptography. Which is
used to hide data from public view, and to ensure that the integrity and
privacy of any data sent across a network is not compromised. Cryptography
involves encryption and decryption process.The scope of this study covers data
encryption and data decryption.
1.4.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Data security in these contemporary times is a must. For your
secrets to be secure, it may be necessary to add protections not provided by
your computer operating systems. The built-in protections may be adequate in
some cases. If no one ever tries to break into or steal data from a particular
computer, its data will be safe. Or if the intruder has not learned how to get
around the simple default mechanisms, they’re sufficient. But many attackers do
have the skills and resources to break various security systems. If you decide
to do nothing and hope that no skilled cracker targets your information, you
may get lucky, and nothing bad will happen.
One of the most important tools for protecting your data from an
authorized access is Data Encryption, any of various methods that are used to
turn readable files into gibberish. Even if an attacker obtains the contents of
the file, it is gibberish. It does not matter whether or not the operating
system protections worked.
1.5.0 DEFINITION OF TERM
SECURITY: The set of
accesses controls and permission that are used to determine if a server can
grant a request for a service or resource from a client.
PASSWORD: An identity
that defines authorized users of a computer in order to have access to the
system.
SOFTWARE: A collection of
computer programs that runs as a group to accomplish a set of objectives which
could be referred to as task.
SYSTEM: An organized
unit which composed of two or more inter related parts that functions together
to achieve a particular goal.
ENCRYPTION: The process of
converting ordinary information (plaintext) into unintelligible gibberish (that
is, cipher text).
DECRYPTION: The reverse,
moving from unintelligible cipher text to plain text.
ALOGRITHM:
This
is a sequential way of solving a problem.
CRYPTOGRAPHY:
This
is used to hide data from public view and to ensure that the integrity and
privacy of any data sent across a network has not been compromised.