10 Encryption Best Practices

When encrypting passwords and other artifacts consider the following:

Encryption becomes fallible because:

• Applications use broken implementations or use known algorithms improperly.

• Data is insecure because of easily defeated cryptography.

In addition, Base-64 encoding, obfuscation, and serialization are not encryption, and should not be mistaken for encryption.

To encrypt data successfully:

• Use the platform-specific file encryption API or another trusted source. Do not create your own cryptography.

• You must restrict access to encryption keys to the fewest number of custodians necessary.

• You must store encryption keys securely in the fewest possible locations and forms.

• Do not store the key with the encrypted data.