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Cybersecurity vocabulary · Encryption and Cryptography

Encryption key

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

nounCore term

In cybersecurity, encryption key means: A secret value, usually a long string of bits, that an encryption algorithm uses to lock and unlock data. Without it, the encrypted data cannot be read.

In Turkish: şifreleme anahtarı, anahtar

How it is used

Teams generate, store, rotate and revoke keys, often in a key management service (KMS) or a hardware security module (HSM). Key length is given in bits, as in AES-256. Losing a key can mean losing the data.

Example sentences

  1. The encryption keys are stored in an HSM, not on the application server.

  2. We rotate the database encryption key every twelve months.

Common collocations

  • rotate a key
  • key management
  • private key
  • key length
  • revoke a key
  • encryptionThe process of turning readable data into a scrambled form that only someone with the right key can turn back into its original form.
  • decryptTo turn encrypted data back into its original, readable form, normally by using the correct key.
  • public-key cryptographyA type of cryptography that uses a pair of related keys: a public key that can be shared with anyone and a private key that its owner keeps secret.
  • digital certificateAn electronic document that links a public key to an identity, such as a website or a person, and is signed by a trusted certificate authority.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Encryption and Cryptography

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