Post Views: 715

Android, a renowned mobile operating system possessing greater than 74% OS market share till July, 2020. The mobile app development must have data encryption as user created data will be mechanically encoded and if unofficial parties get access to the data, they will not be able to read it. Encryption is the encoding of user data on Android devices through encryption keys. It is generally carried out to keep the private information secure.

Be it a native, non-native or hybrid mobile app, data encryption is vital for user privacy and data protection. There are a bunch of popular methods which serve this purpose.

Let’s have a look at it.

1- Symmetric Encryption
A relatively older, but swift and efficient form of encryption entitles symmetric encryption. It is prevalent and captures only a single key for encryption and decryption and relies on Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). In this form of encryption, keys must be secured and shielded in order to avoid any data breach attempt from the hackers.

Despite having some limitations, its usage is still ongoing in Firefox, WhatsApp and Microsoft outlook.

2- Asymmetric Encryption
As opposed to symmetric one, asymmetric holds a couple of keys (public and private) for protecting it from illegal access. Through one key, a message could be encrypted whereas the second key will be used for decryption. It relies on the RSA-2048 algorithm.

Members of the network have access to the public key and on the other hand private key is kept confidential and is placed on the server. This encryption is primarily utilized in smart contracts and blockchain development.

3- Hashing
The purpose of Hashing is to inspect data integrity by using mathematical algorithms. User passwords become encrypted via hashing in Android applications. Its competitive advantage is that it becomes almost impossible to access real passwords through hashing.

It is a fast and convenient method and displays information in the form of a string of symbols. It creates an exceptional value for each input and is based on one-way function and whereby output can’t be regressed to the input.

4- Digital Signature
Digital signature usually takes in hashing and asymmetric encryption together and ensures authenticity of all the messages. This type of encryption is regarded best to use in android apps development. Initially, the recipient with the help of the sender’s public key draws out the hash from the signature.

Once again, hashing of messages takes place and then the results are compared. Through this procedure, it is cross-checked that message didn’t get changed during the transition.

5- End-to-End Encryption
Now, this is the most commonly used technique that gives assurance that the communication between two clients is encrypted – well-protected from cyber attacks. Working on the RSA algorithm, its prominent feature is that just encrypted messages get transferred and there is no space left for fraudulent activity.

Customarily, session keys are generated from the protocol and usually remain confidential between the users. Not many parties are permitted to indulge in end-to-end encryption, which consequently make insufficient room for an occurrence from an insider.

6- Elliptic-Curve Cryptography
While developing an android mobile app, Curve25519 is used by elliptic-curve cryptography. It utilizes public keys, relies on the algebraic structure of elliptic curves and works like asymmetric encryption. The parameters of this encryption help generate greater encryption speed.

It is faster than other methods of encryption discussed in this blog post. SO, if you want swift encryption, this technique is for you.

7- HMAC
Hash-based message authentication code (HMAC) carries hashing and cryptography private keys and is accessed by server and endpoint. Hashed data from the endpoint is sent to the server. It is then decrypted using a private key and comparison of hashed data and the real message is conducted.

It utilizes a SHA-256 algorithm and fulfills both aims of encryption and authentication.

Let’s cut to the chase, with these well-known techniques of data encryption in android applications, your task will be easy to go for the required one.