This blog post examines why encryption technology, the core of information protection, is crucial in modern society, and explores its limitations and challenges.
Most people probably remember playing a game in elementary school where, with the door closed, someone outside would say, “Give me the secret password!” Only after the person by the door heard the desired password would they open it. While this might seem trivial, passwords are actually extremely important. A password refers to information encoded in a way that prevents third parties from deciphering the communication content. In other words, it can be seen as a measure to block access to information. Interest in encryption technology has recently surged. The reason is that modern society has become one where information and creativity are paramount, leading to an overflow of diverse data. Encryption technology is indispensable for safeguarding this data securely.
Cryptographic technology has always been vital in military contexts and remains critically important today. However, as modern society has become increasingly digitized and networks have rapidly advanced, it has also established itself as a crucial commercial technology. Despite ongoing diverse research in cryptography, our personal information remains vulnerable to potential leaks at any time, and indeed, numerous incidents of personal data breaches occur frequently. Furthermore, conflicts between nations frequently arise due to information leaks, leading citizens to question their governments’ security capabilities. In this context, the advancement of cryptographic technology inevitably becomes a more prominent issue and gains greater importance. This essay aims to address the problem of information leaks, which is closely related to cryptographic technology, and the cryptographic techniques associated with this issue.
First, let’s consider the causes of frequent personal information leaks in relation to cryptographic technology. The primary cause of personal information leaks is the imperfect nature of cryptographic technology. At the current level of cryptographic technology, encrypting information requires generating a cryptographic key and storing that key securely. However, if the encryption key is not properly preserved and is exposed to others, that person can easily access the encryption and decrypt the encrypted information, significantly increasing the risk of information leakage. Furthermore, no matter how secure the encryption technology is, if users do not change their passwords regularly or set overly simple passwords, the accessibility and decryption potential of the encrypted information increases, greatly raising the likelihood of information leakage and creating a problem.
The second cause can be found in the inherent contradiction of encryption. If an encryption algorithm is designed to protect information by encrypting it, someone seeking to hack that information will inevitably strive to crack that algorithm. That person will attempt to gain access to the encryption key and decrypt the ciphertext. Consequently, the information becomes more vulnerable to leakage than if it had simply been left unprotected. The purpose of encryption technology is to protect information, yet by encrypting it, the information itself enters a dangerous state where it becomes vulnerable to threats. Furthermore, the sheer diversity of algorithms means that during the implementation of encryption technology, some information might be overlooked, and human error can also increase the likelihood of information leaks.
Furthermore, if encryption is made so complex and secure that humans cannot decipher it, it effectively locks the information away, preventing anyone from accessing it. In such cases, the information becomes unusable even when restoration is necessary. Cryptographic technology was developed to protect valuable information, not to simply lock it away and bury it. If that were the case, it would lose its very meaning as cryptographic technology. Ultimately, an unavoidable duality exists in research related to the development of cryptographic technology.
As discussed above, the issues with cryptographic technology in protecting information include potential vulnerabilities in key accessibility and the risk that encryption itself can threaten information. However, problems with personal information leaks aren’t solely caused by cryptographic technology. Most companies demand information sharing consent in a semi-coercive manner and require detailed information input. I believe the problems arise when this randomly obtained information is not properly managed and leaks. Furthermore, users providing information have not abandoned their attitude of treating information too casually. They merely fixate on security issues like cryptographic technology, anxiously hoping it will advance quickly enough to completely protect their information.
Users must abandon their casual attitude toward information and the irresponsible belief that cryptographic technology will solve everything. Based on these points, cryptographic technology should evolve into a technology that is easy to implement but requires more delicate and sophisticated methods for information recovery. It must develop into a solution that perfectly protects information, preventing leaks caused by human error.
