Cryptography, which includes both encryption and decryption, is one of the most important tools you have to protect yourself. Hands down, there is nothing that will protect you more so than having your data protected by a trustworthy software product. Most people do not think anything of cryptography. They may not even know what it is. However, what you may believe is protecting you is not.

What Is Cryptography?

Cryptography is the study and practice of hiding information. Everything from computer passwords to electronic communications to your ATM card relies on this technology as a way of protecting sensitive information from passing from one person to another when it is not otherwise allowed.

Most people do not realize how many instances there are when information is leaked from personal documents. Many people keep their information in open format, which means that they use no or very little encryption to safeguard this information from being taken from their computers through Trojan horse style software programs and online hacker attacks. If you leave information such as the following in this format, anyone can take it and use it against you.

• Your address and phone number
• Your bank account numbers
• Your online passwords to various websites
• Your password to your financial investments
• Private conversations
• Private photographs

If you have used any of these items on your computer and do not have any type of cryptography protecting you, you are vulnerable from any attack. People can use this information to obtain credit cards in your name. They can steal your identity or even steal your money.

Consider the following situations. Imagine how many of these (if not all) could happen to you.

• You decide to upgrade your computer or hard drive. Perhaps it has crashed and is no longer operational. You cannot just toss the computer away. You cannot even take it in to be repaired because technicians would then have access to your information. What do you do with it?
• You share your computer with other users. Are they accessing your information? Are they reading your private and personal conversations with others that no one else knows about? Could they use this information to blackmail you?
• Is your computer moving slow? You think it must be spam or perhaps some type of spyware, but what if it is an online hacker gathering information you are typing into your computer at this very minute. They are gathering information to use against you to open credit card accounts, hide their own identity or even apply for assistance with. You become responsible for the debt they create.

Governmental Slip Ups

Most people have heard of the numerous governmental slip ups, when private data has been exposed or in some way leaked to those who could use it improperly.

• Did you know that a US Intelligence report called the US Department of Defense Counterintelligence Analysis Report from March of 2008 was released? The report was leaked even though it contained information on Guantanamo Bay, human rights violations, equipment purchases and much more.
• Did you know that organizations are able to gather information from simple things like text messages and pager messages? In 2009, an organization was able to obtain information, more than 570,000 intercepts of pager messages from the September 11th, including private communications between New York City Police and the Pentagon.
• Government officials lose notebooks, flash drives, memory sticks and other documents that contain personal information on them. Private data is leaked because of this loss. It could happen to you at any time.

Social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card accounts, etc, are all examples of information that you trust in the hands of government and professional officials to keep safe. However, even this information, at this level, is incredibly vulnerable to slip ups and leaks.

Many Of These Instances Could Be Protected

Many of these problematic situations can be avoided. They could have been avoided if individuals would have taken the time to use multiple layers of protection for this information so that even in mistaken situations, your data is protected.

Cryptography can protect you. Even if you are already using some type of data currently, many organizations make it their goal to break apart these programs and find ways into them. For example, there are people working right now on finding a back door into most big name security products. These hackers are always analyzing these popular tools to find ways to breach security and to open up its encryption. Products like Adobe and Elcomsoft.com are good examples of how this can happen.

You need more security. You need multiple layers of security that will see areas of vulnerability and will protect them from you. With the right technology, you can protect yourself from any of the following situations.

• Avoid being targeted by hackers trying to access your home address, phone number and contact information. You can avoid a criminal getting this information and coming to your home.
• Protect your financial passwords and account numbers. Imagine someone draining your accounts of money. It would take months for you to realize what happened.
• Avoid people gathering the photographs, documents and other materials you have downloaded to a computer. Avoid them reading your private conversations with those you have met online or business partners.

Do you still think this cannot happen to you? It could and it can happen in both innocent ways (such as tracking where you shop) to the most private conversations. Check out these recent stories on online and offline hacking. Could this happen to you?

• A New Zealand online hacker is trying to sell 1.5 million Facebook usernames and passwords.
• Hackers learn and share information on how to unlock Iphone 3G.
• Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin's email gets hacked.
• Chinese hackers try to break Google password system.

Are you protected? Most are not, but they most definitely could be with the right cryptography product.