Encryption

🔑 Key Takeaway: Encryption protects confidentiality when keys are managed deliberately across data at rest and in transit — algorithms alone do not compensate for weak custody or cleartext channels.

Encryption keeps sensitive information confidential when storage, backups, devices, or network paths are exposed to unauthorized parties. In Web3 organizations the same patterns apply to operator laptops, cloud control planes, chat used for incident coordination, and databases that hold customer or key-adjacent metadata.

This framework spans common encryption applications without replacing product-specific hardening guides under OpSec, privacy, or infrastructure.

Core ideas

• At rest vs in transit: protect stored data and data in motion with appropriate controls; many systems need both.
• Key management: algorithms fail open when keys are shared widely, never rotated, or live in the same breach domain as the ciphertext without additional controls.
• Threat model first: full-disk encryption addresses device loss; it does not stop a logged-in malware session.

What this framework covers

1. Cloud Data Encryption: at-rest and in-transit controls, KMS and BYOK patterns on major clouds.
2. Communication Encryption: messaging tools with and without default E2EE.
3. Encryption in Transit: TLS, VPN, SSH, and message-level email crypto.
4. Database Encryption: file/column encryption, TDE, HSM-backed keys, access control.
5. Email Encryption: S/MIME and PGP/GPG patterns and tooling.
6. File Encryption: encrypting individual sensitive files with trusted tools.
7. Full Disk Encryption: endpoint FDE and secure boot basics.
8. Hardware Encryption: TPM, self-encrypting drives, and HSMs.
9. Partition Encryption: selective partition encryption with BitLocker, LUKS, or VeraCrypt.
10. Volume Encryption: volume-level encryption and key-handling practices.

Related frameworks

• OpSec: endpoint and operational controls that surround encryption choices
• Privacy: communications privacy and related tooling
• Infrastructure: broader platform and network security
• Wallet Security: key material for on-chain assets (distinct from disk/OS encryption)

Further Reading

• NIST SP 800-175B Rev. 1: using cryptographic standards
• OWASP Cryptographic Storage Cheat Sheet
• OWASP Transport Layer Protection Cheat Sheet