How Vaultless Tokenization Outsmarts Encryption

🔐 PGP Encryption in Action: Protecting Data Like a Pro Cybersecurity isn’t just a buzzword — it’s about keeping sensitive information safe. One of the most powerful tools for this is PGP encryption, which combines asymmetric and symmetric encryption for both security and speed. I recently worked hands-on with Kleopatra (part of Gpg4win), a user-friendly GUI to: ✅ Create and manage encryption keys (supports strong RSA 4096-bit keys) ✅ Encrypt and decrypt files ✅ Sign and verify messages ✅ Protect generated keys with a passphrase for extra security 🔑 How it works (step-by-step): 1️⃣ Generate Key Pair – Each user creates a public key (shared) and a private key (kept secret), protected by a passphrase. 2️⃣ Share Public Key – Others use it to send you encrypted data. 3️⃣ Encrypt Data – Kleopatra uses a hybrid method: A random symmetric key encrypts the actual file/message (fast). The symmetric key is encrypted with the recipient’s public key (secure). 4️⃣ Decrypt Data – Your private key unlocks the symmetric key, then decrypts the message/file. 5️⃣ Sign & Verify – Digitally sign messages to confirm authenticity, and verify signatures to ensure integrity. 💡 This approach combines the speed of symmetric encryption, the security of asymmetric encryption, and the strength of RSA 4096-bit keys, making it a reliable solution for real-world data protection. Sharing this to show how Kleopatra makes strong encryption practical and secure for anyone who cares about cybersecurity! 🚀 #CyberSecurity #PGP #Encryption #Kleopatra #RSA4096 #DataSecurity #AsymmetricEncryption #SymmetricEncryption #KnowledgeSharing

Timi and the Secret Message A Cybersecurity Story About Hashes, Encryption and Salting. Timi, a clever boy with a love for secrets Inside his laptop were treasures: Grandma’s cake recipe Cheat codes for his favorite game One day, Timi wanted to send a message to his best friend, Zainab, without anyone else reading it. But how? Timi’s big brother, a cybersecurity wizard, said: “You need encryption, little bro. It’s like locking your message in a box so only the right person can open it.” Timi’s eyes lit up. “Cool! But how do I lock it?”. Big bro explained there are two kinds of locks in the digital world: Symmetric Encryption: One key to lock, The same key to unlock, Fast and simple, "It’s like using the same house key for you and Zainab. But if someone steals the key… uh-oh!” Asymmetric Encryption: One key to lock (public key), A different key to unlock (private key) Super secure "It’s like sending Zainab a locked box, but only she has the magic key to open it. Even you can’t peek!” Big bro opened his spellbook and told the story of the Two Magic Keys: Once upon a time, every cyber hero had two keys: The public key was shared with everyone. It could lock messages but not unlock them. The private key was kept secret. Only the owner could use it to unlock messages. Timi used Zainab’s public key to lock the message, Zainab used her private key to unlock it. Even if Mr. Byte the sneaky hacker saw the public key, he couldn’t open the box, Only Zainab could because only she had the private key. Before sending the message, Timi added a hash a special fingerprint of the file. “A hash is like sealing your letter with a wax stamp,” said Big bro. “If someone changes even one word, the stamp breaks! Timi used SHA-256, a strong hashing algorithm that creates a 256-bit fingerprint long, unique, and irreversible. sha256sum secret_message.txt Timi asked, “Can someone take the hash and figure out my message?” Big bro smiled. “Nope! Hashing is one-way magic. Once you turn a file into a hash, you can’t turn it back.” It’s like blending a smoothie: You can see what it looks like. But you can’t un-blend it to get the banana and mango back. Big bro leaned in and whispered: “But wait there’s one more trick: salting.” Timi blinked. “Like jollof rice?” “Exactly! Just like adding salt makes your recipe unique, salting a hash adds a random twist that makes it harder for hackers to guess.” Timi added a salt to his hash: echo "secret_message.txtmysalt123" | sha256sum Now the hash was totally different even though the message hadn’t changed. Zainab received the locked box and used her private key to open it. She scanned the file and ran the same salted SHA-256 hash command: echo "received message. txtmysalt123" | sha256sum She compared the result with Timi’s original salted hash. The hash matched, the message was untouched, the cake recipe was still delicious This means no one changed the file,” she smiled. “It’s still pure!” #CyberSecurity #infosec

As data breaches surge and ransomware evolves, cybersecurity moves to the forefront. Experts stress zero‑trust models, stricter compliance, and AI‑driven defenses to safeguard digital assets across sectors. The post Cybersecurity in Focus: Safeguarding Digital Data appeared first on Codaily.

🚨 Cybersecurity highlights from Oct 17 2025 🚨  1️⃣ F5 confirms year-long breach impacting source code and data   • Nation-state actor infiltrated internal systems undetected   • BIG-IP dev environment and knowledge base compromised   • Federal directive orders urgent updates by Oct 22   🔗 https://lnkd.in/ge38zX4s 🔗 2️⃣ PowerSchool hacker sentenced to four years and fines   • 19-year-old Matthew Lane pled guilty to major data theft   • Stole data on over 70M individuals; demanded $2.9M ransom   • Ordered to pay $14M restitution after investigation   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gysN7qmQ 🔗 3️⃣ Senator questions Cisco over critical firewall vulnerabilities   • Inquiry on disclosure timelines and customer communication   • Federal order: patch, audit, retire affected gear within 24h   • Exploited since May & linked to Arcane Door campaign   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gMYw4cNh 🔗 4️⃣ Phishing campaign impersonates LastPass and Bitwarden   • Fake “security update” emails deliver remote control tools   • Installs Synchro, then Screen Connect for persistence   • Vendors confirm: no breach, ignore update prompts   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gUkyhU7n 🔗 5️⃣ Open Elasticsearch database exposed 6B global records   • Data from old breaches aggregated in one massive index   • Contained names, phones, emails, IP addresses, and geos   • Weeks online before takedown with risk amplified by scale   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gVzVc5xm 🔗 6️⃣ Ransomware wave hits France, Italy, and the U.S.   • Double extortion: encryption plus public data leaks   • Attackers impose shorter deadlines and harsher threats   • Victims pressured via leak portals and chat negotiations   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gbn8FWY7 🔗 7️⃣ AI security progress lags as teams moving at “AI speed”   • Adoption outpaces controls, but defenders adapting fast   • Learning curve sharper than early cloud security era   • Risks evolve as new enterprise use cases emerge   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gv3rqXvF 🔗 8️⃣ Top AI risks: hallucinated code and package poisoning   • LLMs generate insecure code —> SQLi and logic flaws   • Fake packages mimic names to deliver malware payloads   • Open-source and supply chain threats accelerating   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gRZjyW_z 🔗 9️⃣ Build AI guardrails across the full SDLC lifecycle   • Secure design, test, and deployment with automated review   • Apply AI to verify, not just generate, secure code   • Governance and model-approval lists now essential   🔗 https://lnkd.in/giURBCMw 🔗 🔟 Facial recognition systems fail on inclusivity grounds   • Bias in training data locks users out of services   • Impacts license renewals, payments, and identity checks   • Experts urge diverse datasets and human verification fallback   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gvyqYfCf 🔗

In 1977, MIT researchers developed the RSA algorithm, an encryption method that became the foundation of modern digital security. Here’s the twist: when Scientific American described it, 3,000+ readers mailed in for the technical memo… but didn’t get their copies for six years because the NSA questioned if it was safe to share encryption with the public. Eventually, RSA became the backbone of trust online—securing banking, healthcare, e-commerce, and nearly every business transaction today. But here’s why this matters for small and midsize businesses (SMBs): 🔑 Encryption like RSA protects your data in transit—but it’s only one layer of defense 🌍 Attackers don’t just target Fortune 500 companies; SMBs are now prime targets 🧱 Without a layered approach (firewalls, endpoint protection, MFA, monitoring), encryption alone isn’t enough At Xvand, we help SMBs build what RSA started: not just strong encryption, but a layered security fortress that keeps sensitive client data safe, ensures compliance, and minimizes downtime if an incident happens. 👉 If RSA is the foundation, layered security is the fortress your business needs to survive modern threats. 💬 Do you feel your current security strategy goes beyond the basics—or are you still relying on a single layer?

Symmetric Encryption: Uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption, offering fast performance but requiring secure key distribution. Example: AES. Asymmetric Encryption: Uses a pair of public and private keys, allowing secure communication without sharing a secret key. The public key encrypts data, and the private key decrypts it. Example: RSA. Hashing: A one-way function that converts data into a fixed-length hash value (digest), making it irreversible. It’s used for verifying data integrity or storing passwords securely. Example: SHA-256. Please follow Divye Dwivedi for such content.  #DevSecOps, #SecureDevOps, #CyberSecurity, #SecurityAutomation, #CloudSecurity, #InfrastructureSecurity, #DevOpsSecurity, #ContinuousSecurity, #SecurityByDesign, #SecurityAsCode, #ApplicationSecurity, #ComplianceAutomation, #CloudSecurityPosture, #SecuringTheCloud, #AI4Security #DevOpsSecurity #IntelligentSecurity #AppSecurityTesting #CloudSecuritySolutions #ResilientAI #AdaptiveSecurity #SecurityFirst #AIDrivenSecurity #FullStackSecurity #ModernAppSecurity #SecurityInTheCloud #EmbeddedSecurity #SmartCyberDefense #ProactiveSecurity

🔐 Tuesday's Tech Tip: Data Security Is More Than Just a Password   For SMBs, one cyber incident or system failure can disrupt operations, damage trust, and have financial repercussions. A strong data security strategy must go beyond passwords. Here are five pillars: Regular Backups 💾 – Keep copies of your data on both secure cloud and offline storage. Disaster Recovery Plan 🌐 – Document and test how you’ll restore critical systems when things go wrong. Access Controls 🔑 – Limit who can view, edit, or share sensitive information with identity access management (IAM) Monitoring & Alerts 📡 – Get notified about suspicious logins or unusual activity. Adopt Data Encryption 🔒 – Encrypt sensitive data both at rest (on servers, drives, or databases) and in transit (emails, file transfers) and follow zero-trust architectures to protect data from unauthorized access and breaches, and maintain compliance.   Example in action: I worked with an e-commerce client whose online store handled sensitive customer data. Initially, they had no encryption enabled and no recovery plan in place. We implemented full database encryption for stored customer records, secured payment data in transit with SSL/TLS, and set up automated daily backups with a tested recovery process. Months later, when their server provider experienced an outage, they restored their store in under an hour — with no data loss and zero exposure of customer information.   Pro tip: Don’t just have a security plan — test it. A backup you can’t restore or encryption keys you can’t access won’t protect you.   How confident are you in your organization’s ability to keep data secure and recover quickly? #TechTip #DataSecurity #Encryption #DisasterRecovery #Cybersecurity #SmallBusiness

With threats on the rise, protecting data at rest is a critical component to ensuring that even if attackers penetrate networks or steal physical devices, the data itself remains unreadable without authorization. On The Cyber Show podcast, our CTO, David Stonehill, underscored the need for data at rest encryption, warning that only seamless, high-performance encryption can shield organizations from today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges. “Encryption is not optional,” said David Stonehill, CTO, NetLib Security. “In today’s environment of persistent online threats, data encryption is critically important to not only your business but the safety of your sensitive personal information. At NetLib Security, our goal is to make strong, usable encryption simple to deploy so organizations can ‘set it and forget it.’" NetLib Security’s transparent data encryption (TDE) solutions are an easy and cost effective way to proactively protect your data on servers, legacy systems, devices and distributed applications across physical, virtual and cloud environments while maintaining business stability with virtually no impact on performance. Learn more 👇 https://lnkd.in/dmyD4WQW #infosec #cybersec #datasecurity #encryption #TDE #SQL #microsoft

Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, thanks in part to #AI. To defend your business, consider adopting Microsoft's AI-powered Security Copilot, along with the other 4 strategies in this Microsoft article. 👉

🔑 Strengths and Weaknesses of Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Encryption (For Security Professionals) 🛡️ For any professional in cybersecurity, a deep understanding of the pros and cons of Symmetric and Asymmetric encryption is a necessity. We cannot secure the digital world without both. Here is a full breakdown of the key differences: 1. Symmetric Encryption (Secret-Key) This method is the fastest way to secure data, but it comes with critical risks. ✅ Strengths (The Speed Advantage): Faster & Easier: Quicker to implement and execute, using the same key for encryption/decryption. Low Processing Power: Requires less computational power (good for low-resource devices). Hardware Ready: Can be implemented efficiently in Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). ❌ Weaknesses (The Key Problem): Key Distribution Issue: Lack of a secure channel to exchange the secret key (the main drawback). Difficult Key Management: Hard to manage and secure many shared keys when communicating with different parties. No Origin Assurance: Provides no assurance about the origin/authenticity of a message (as both sender and receiver use the same key). Widespread Compromise Risk: Vulnerable to widespread message security compromise if the single shared key is lost. Attack Vulnerability: Susceptible to Dictionary and Brute Force attacks. 2. Asymmetric Encryption (Public-Key) This method is the backbone of authentication and non-repudiation, solving key exchange problems. ✅ Strengths (The Security Advantage): Convenient Key Use: No key distribution is required for encrypting messages (Public Key is public). Enhanced Security: The sender never transmits or shares the Private Key. Non-Repudiation: Provides Digital Signatures that guarantee the sender cannot deny having sent the message. Protects Private Key: Even if data is intercepted, it is not possible to decrypt it without the secret Private Key. ❌ Weaknesses (The Performance Cost): Slow Processing: Slower in processing and requires high computational power. Loss of Data: Messages cannot be decrypted if the Private Key is lost. Man-in-the-Middle Risk: Vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle and Brute Force attacks. 💡 Final Conclusion: Use Symmetric for high-performance bulk data encryption. Use Asymmetric to secure authentication, non-repudiation, and the secure exchange of the symmetric key. The best solutions (like TLS) are a hybrid of both. ❓ Your Question: Given the weaknesses listed, what is the most critical countermeasure your team employs to protect private keys against attacks like Man-in-the-Middle? Join the discussion below. 👇 #Cybersecurity #Cryptography #InfoSec #CyberSecurityAwareness #Technology #KeyManagement #AsymmetricEncryption #SymmetricEncryption