Data Encryption For Andriod, iPhone, Mac, Windows

Data Encryption Guide
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Scammers, fraudsters, hackers, and Yahoo boys are not smiling. They can easily access your phone remotely and gain access to your bank account, social media handles, messages, and other personal information.

Even with passwords on your smart device, your data are not still secured. These hackers and scammers can still send malicious software and viruses to your device and easily steal your data, blackmail you, and even gain access to your bank account.

Imagine there a folder on your phone where you stored all your documents, bank details, account passwords, and credentials and a hacker gets ahold of these documents. They will request money for the documents to be transferred back to you. That’s sad right? I’m going to teach you how to encrypt your files and prevent these types of attacks.

When the file or folder is encrypted, the hacker only sees gibberish strings, alphanumeric characters, and symbols. It looks like this “JGhg(HN tu37”3 edhjeh£”dyhs5 SD% ^bg”. This doesn’t look too important to them so they just abandon their search and your data is safe.

What is Encryption?

Encryption can simply be defined as a process where sensitive data are made more secure and less likely to be intercepted by those unauthorized persons. It is the ultimate way to secure your details.

When your data is encrypted, all messages or information is encoded and protected in a way that only you and authorized parties can access it. Encryption is an additional procedure you can use to protect sensitive financial data, tax information, medical records, and other sensitive files.

Encryption may sound kind of new to you but have been in existence since the 500BC. Data have been encrypted by militaries and governments to protect data and communicate secretly.

Most encryption software is generally free and already installed by your device manufacturer. Microsoft’s encryption, for example, is very strong and easy to use.

Importance Of Encrypting Your Data

Encrypting your device is one of the best security measures for anyone in the 21st century. These days almost everything using an internet connection is encrypted, from online platforms to messaging apps and even online payment methods.

This is done for consumers, most internet providers and other online platforms encrypt their data to make sure that their customer’s data remains private, secure, and cannot be stolen for ransom or blackmail.

Data encryption is very important for everyone especially consumers like you and me. It is not just for big multi-corporations, military contractors, and government officials. You also need your files encrypted. Here are some of the reasons why you should encrypt your file.

Encryption helps to protect stored data

The information stored on storage devices or computers can be stolen if the device is lost. Data Encryption prevents your information from being stolen even if the device is. Even if you stored it in a USB drive, it’s still advisable that you encrypt them in case the USB drive is lost or stolen.

Encryption is used to protect data in transit

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You can also encrypt data being transferred on a network like your phone number, ATM password, web address, credit card details… This prevents scammers from seeing your personal details when browsing or doing business online.

Types of Encryption

There are two basic types of Encryption. They are symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption.

1. Symmetric Encryption

Symmetric encryption is a type of encryption process where the encryption keys and the decryption keys are the same. A good example of encryption using the symmetric encryption key is the German military’s Enigma Machine.

2. Asymmetric Encryption

Asymmetric encryption is a type of encryption process where the encryption keys and the decryption keys are different. It is usually implemented by the use of one-way functions.

This allows functions that are easy to compute in one direction but very difficult to compute in reverse.

A good example of asymmetric encryption is the “little padlock icon” in our browser. This is called an SSL certificate and prevents third parties from seeing what you do, data you input, and details you fill in when browsing.

How To Encrypt Your device

Like I said earlier, encrypting your data makes valuables documents appear as gibberish strings, alphanumeric characters, and symbols. Encryption is also available and usually built-in in all operating systems.

Your encrypted data can allow being accessed by you and authorized parties with access to the decryption key.  Now that you know the benefits of encryption, would you like to encrypt your Mac, iPhone, Windows, or Andriod device?

Using a strong password alone can’t secure your files, folders, and documents from snoopers, hackers, and scammer. Encrypting your files is one of the best ways to secure your files, Here’s how to encrypt your smart device:

How To Encrypt Your Mac

Data encryption is available on all of Apple’s Mac computers. You can easily encrypt your file on Mac using this procedure:

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  • Go to System Preferences.
  • Click Security & Privacy.
  • Click FileVault.

Click Turn On FileVault and your Mac encryption will begin. You should wait for your device encryption to be completed, but it’s OK to continue using the computer.

How To Encrypt Your Windows Device

You’ll need BitLocker on your Windows system to encrypt your data. BitLocker may not be available in some versions of Windows. You can easily encrypt your file on Windows computers using this procedure:

  • Go to Control Panel. 
  • Click on BitLocker Drive Encryption.
  • Click on Turn on BitLocker. 
  • Enter your password or passphrase.
  • Select the Files/Data you want to Encrypt.
  • Start the encryption process.

How To Encrypt Your iPhone

You can easily encrypt your folders on Iphones using this procedure:

  • Go to your iPhone Settings Menu
  • Click on Touch ID & Passcode.
  • Click on Turn Passcode On [if it has not been enabled already].
  • Click on Passcode options to choose a custom code.
  • You should see a confirmation phrase, “Data protection is enabled” at the bottom of the screen.

How To Encrypt Your Android Device

To encrypt files and folders on android phones, you have to plug your device to charge the battery and make sure that you’ve already set a password or PIN for your android phone.

  • Go to the Settings menu on your Andriod device.
  • Click on Security.
  • Click the Encrypt phone
  • Click on the Encrypt phone option to start the encryption process.

How do I Encrypt my mobile data?

For Android Devices:

  1. Back Up Your Data: Before starting the encryption process, it’s a good idea to back up your data to ensure that you don’t lose any important information during the encryption.
  2. Go to Settings: Open the “Settings” app on your Android device.
  3. Security Settings: Look for the “Security” or “Privacy” section within your device’s settings.
  4. Encrypt Phone: Find the option for “Encrypt Phone” or “Encrypt Device.” This may vary depending on your Android version and device manufacturer.
  5. Follow the Prompts: You will be guided through the encryption process. Make sure your device is charged or connected to a power source, as encryption can take some time.

For iOS Devices (iPhone or iPad):

  1. Back Up Your Data: Just like with Android, start by backing up your data using iCloud or iTunes.
  2. Go to Settings: Open the “Settings” app on your iOS device.
  3. Touch ID & Passcode (or Face ID & Passcode): Within the settings, select “Touch ID & Passcode” or “Face ID & Passcode,” depending on your device.
  4. Enable Passcode: Ensure that you have set up a passcode for your device. If you haven’t, you’ll need to do this first.
  5. Data Protection: Your iOS device is automatically encrypted when you set up a passcode. Just make sure you have a strong, alphanumeric passcode.

I bet you now know a great deal about encryption and how to encrypt your data. Don’t you feel safe already? Encrypting your data is a very simple process. Ensure that your data is encrypted so that all sensitive emails, files, folders, and documents are properly secured.

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