Data breaches are becoming more and more common, so it's essential you know about the different ways you can protect your valuable information. Zero-knowledge encryption is one such method that offers superior privacy and data protection.

But what exactly is zero-knowledge encryption? How is it different from end-to-end encryption? And what are its pros and cons?

What Is Encryption?

Encryption is a crucial tool to protect information from prying eyes. At its most basic level, encryption is the process of encoding messages or information so that only the intended users can read it.

Encryption uses complex mathematical algorithms to transform plaintext (data readable by humans) into ciphertext that no machine or human can read. Only a user with a decryption key can convert ciphertext back to plaintext, i.e. readable data. So hackers will only see gibberish if they get hold of ciphertext.

Two types of encryption are primarily used when it comes to securing data.

Encryption-in-Transit

Just as an armored truck protects its contents, encryption-in-transit protects your data when it is in transit. For example, when you download or upload files to a cloud storage provider, the data is encrypted during the transmission for protection.

TLS is the most commonly used encryption protocol for encryption-in-transit.