Symmetric vs Asymmetric Encryption: The Key Differences

Symmetric encryption vs asymmetric encryption. Two main types explained

To understand the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption, let’s review each of them, starting with a symmetric one:

Symmetric encryption 

The main peculiarity of symmetric encryption is that it requires data sender and receiver to have the same key. For example, when you access a website to watch your favorite anime or show, your device and the server must have the same key to exchange and read the coded data. 

Even though symmetric encryption may seem straightforward, its main algorithms are designed to make your data as undecipherable as possible. There are several prominent symmetric encryption protocols: 

• AES. Advanced Encryption Standard is the most prominent and reliable protocol algorithm that is based on the Rijndael cipher. It works by taking data, breaking it into blocks, and scrambling it using mathematical operations and a secret key. This process makes the data unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the key to unlock it. By the way, VeePN uses AES 256-bit encryption which means the key used to encrypt and decrypt the data is 256 bits long. The longer the key, the harder it is to crack, as there are more possible combinations (2^256) hackers would have to try to guess the correct key, making 256-bit encryption extremely secure.
• TLS/SSL. Transport Layer Security and Secure Sockets Layer are the most common protocols used for securing websites. Most web browsers rely heavily on TLS, so when a site you want to visit has an outdated TLS certificate, browsers like Chrome may deny access .   
• DES/Triple DES. Data Encryption Standard is an old-fashioned standard that preceded AES and used the same principle, but much less sophisticated and secure. As for Triple DES, it is actually DES applied to every single data block three times. But in general, both protocols are extremely outdated and rarely used these days. 
• IDEA. International Data Encryption Algorithm was expected to replace DES, but didn’t get much recognition, which is why you can seldom encounter it today. There’s not so much we can say about it. 
  And now, onto asymmetric encryption!

Asymmetric encryption

Unlike symmetric encryption, asymmetric one requires two types of keys: private and public. For instance, a VeePN as a VPN app connects to a remote server through an encrypted tunnel using a public key to the remote server. This server uses the public key to receive and encrypt data. Then the private key comes into play to decrypt the data and send it to the receiver. As a result, all your Internet traffic bypasses it’s usual “road” to websites, apps, games, and streaming services, but nobody can track what you do online. That’s how asymmetric encryption works!

To complete the above mentioned process, asymmetric encryption uses the following protocols: 

• RSA. Named after Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman, this encryption method is extremely uncrackable but slow as well, which is why it’s not commonly used in consumer digital products and online services. 
• Diffie-Hellman key exchange. Similar to RSA, Diffie-Hellman encryption includes key exchange that speeds up the encoding and decoding process.  
• TLS/SSL. We’ve discussed these protocols as a component of symmetric encryption, but TLS/SSL works perfectly with private and public keys as well. And if it works, why not then?

Now that we pinned down symmetric vs asymmetric encryption differences, here’s asummary table to round things up: 

So you know the difference between symmetric key encryption vs asymmetric, but we haven’t mentioned their use cases yet. Let’s explore when and where these two encryption methods are used!

When to use symmetric encryption

Speaking about symmetric encryption, it’s commonly used when: 

• Speed and efficiency are paramount. Using the same key is definitely faster than using a public and then private one — that’s a solid advantage of symmetric encryption. That’s why symmetric encryption is crucial for cases when large datasets should be transitioned as fast as possible.  
• Data security is a concern. Symmetric encryption uses complex coding methods which make it extremely good at protecting data from unauthorized access. 
• Key management isn’t risky. Since symmetric encryption uses only one key, its handling and protection are critical. As a consequence, symmetric encryption becomes a priority method when key protection isn’t challenging because it can encrypt/decrypt data quickly and safely. 

Common use cases 

You can see the use of symmetric encryption in these cases: 

• Data integrity protection. Symmetric encryption is perfect for protecting data that is stored on devices and various hardware but goes online. This type of encryption ensures that data is safe in its storage and can safely travel over networks without risks of being intercepted and cracked. 
• Securing credit card credentials and personal information. Payment apps, web stores, online services and such require protection of their users’ banking information to avoid fraud and loss of money. Symmetric encryption is a perfect fit for such tasks as it can easily turn any sensitive information into gibberish no hackers and fraudsters can make sense of. 
• Personal file encryption. If you have important files stored on your device, symmetric encryption can be a good solution to prevent unauthorized access to your information. You can even encrypt the entire databases or their separate components if necessary. 

When to use asymmetric encryption

Asymmetric encryption is particularly good for:

• Risky key distribution. The risk of losing a decryption key is a major disadvantage of symmetric encryption. But that’s when an asymmetric method comes in handy as it uses public and private keys, making sure nobody will interfere in the data exchange. 
• Need for secure communication channels. Asymmetric encryption can be used to establish secure communication channels, such as web browsers and messaging apps, where a public key is used to encrypt data, and the corresponding private key is used to decrypt it.
• Symmetric key exchange. When symmetric keys require a secure exchange, an asymmetric method comes to help its counterpart. The use of two keys is one of the main benefits of asymmetric encryption and it ideally serves the purpose of securing symmetric key exchange from hackers. For such cases, the use of RSA or Diffie-Hellman encryption is commonplace. 

Common use cases

The most common use cases of an asymmetric encryption are: 

• Email encryption. With the use of TLS/SSL, emails get protection from third-party access to prevent hackers from reading your email messages. 
• Digital certificates. Asymmetric encryption uses its core principle of public and private keys to verify the identity of an individual or organization that uses digital certificates.  
• Authentication and digital signatures. Verifying the authenticity of digital signatures is also one of the most common use cases of asymmetric encryption. The private key is used to sign a message, while the public key is used to verify the signature.

Both symmetric and asymmetric encryption are fundamental to securing digital communication. For instance, symmetric encryption is often used to encrypt large amounts of data quickly, while asymmetric encryption secures the initial exchange of encryption keys. A prime example of these methods in action is virtual private networks (VPNs), which rely on encryption to protect your Internet traffic from prying eyes. Bear with us to explore how symmetric and asymmetric encryption work in VPNs and why it’s beneficial for your online security. 

How VPNs use symmetric and asymmetric encryption methods for enhancing your security

To start with, you need to understand how a VPN app works. When your VPN app is active, it transitions all your Internet traffic through a secure “tunnel” where it gets encrypted and goes to a remote server and then to the server of a service you want to access. Making such a “hook” in data’s way to the endpoint, enables you to hide your IP address and conceal your identity online. 

And now, let’s see how this happens in detail:   

Asymmetric encryption for key exchange 

Asymmetric encryption comes first in protecting your data with VPN:  

1. Initial connection. When a user connects to a VPN server, the server sends its public key to the user. 
2. Symmetric key generation. The user generates a random symmetric encryption key to be used for subsequent communication.
3. Key encryption. The user encrypts the symmetric key using the server’s public key and sends it to the server.
4. Key decryption. The server decrypts the symmetric key using its private key, obtaining the shared data.

Symmetric encryption for data transmission

The role of symmetric encryption in securing your data with VPN is rather simple:

• Data encryption. Once the shared symmetric key is established, all subsequent data transmitted between the user and the VPN server is encrypted using this key.
• Data decryption. The VPN server decrypts the data using the same symmetric key, and then forwards it to the destination. 

We have to highlight that free VPNs commonly lack reliable encryption protocols, which is why they still can be unsafe to use. At the same time, we suggest you try VeePN — a premium VPN app that uses the most reliable encryption method. There’s a common belief that VPN encryption seriously slows down the Internet speed, but VeePN uses a WireGuard® protocol for optimized data encryption and ensuring high connection speeds. In addition to solid encryption, VeePN offers extra security features such as KillSwitch, NetGuard, and even Breach Alert — notifications about your personal data leakage.  

Ensure your privacy and security with VeePN 

We would live in a much darker world without symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Frauds, scams, and hack attacks would be even more widespread than they are today. However, your Internet privacy is still at risk as hackers and other malicious actors are extremely inventive in coming up with new ways of stealing your personal information. 

You can safeguard yourself by using VeePN which offers bulletproof security but also lets you enjoy high-speed Internet connection, access games, and stream media even when you need to travel abroad. 

Subscribe to VeePN right now and use it on up to 10 devices without extra charges!

Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.

Knowledge is power,
VeePN is freedom

Get VeePN Now