What is End to End Encryption (E2EE) & How does it Work?

What is E2EE?

The most advanced barrier against leakage is end-to-end encryption, which is a security protocol used in communication systems to guarantee the confidentiality and authenticity of the transmitted data.

Just as conventional encryption methods carry out data encryption and decryption in different places, E2EE encrypts messages on the sender’s device, and it decrypts it on the recipient’s device, thereby, adopting a way that ensures the entire message has adequate security.

That is to say, only the end user and the intended recipient encode and decipher the message as it is transmitted through the means of encryption using cryptographic keys.

Service providers and potential intruders are denied access to the message during transmission. E2EE implements very high encryption and cryptographic keys so that the encrypted communications cannot be revealed by anyone.

With the source phoning home, the sender’s device generates a single key that will then be used for the encipherment of the message. This is the most important function of a cryptographic key. By using it, the message is encrypted on the sending device.

The encrypted message along with the metadata is transmitted to the recipient’s device across the network in a cipher, a technique that relies on the concept of substitution. The receiver’s device, employing its very own decryption key, unscrambles and translates the message into a human language.

Through this process of end-to-end encryption, a malicious actor that steals the communication would only see the version of it that is encrypted (could be the text version or the files) and not be able to read it unless they obtain the encryption key.

Moreover, one can keep in mind that this applies to the device`s memory and not that of a third-party server where access to the plain text of messages is not possible.

End-to-end encryption is the most efficient way of keeping the information transferred safe and confidential since it ensures whole secret contents of the messages are only available to their intended recipients.

It is one of the most frequently used encryption techniques in messaging applications, instant messaging tools, and email services to ensure users’ privacy and data confidentiality as well as protecting from unauthorized access to sensitive information.

How does it work?

The end-to-end encryption (E2EE) can be achieved through a complex yet user-friendly process that makes sure of data secrecy and integrity on the path between two participants. Here’s a detailed explanation of how it works: Here’s a detailed explanation of how it works:

Key Generation: Once a user makes a move and data or a message goes live, digital devices produce a key pair – a public key and a private key. The public key facilitates encryption and the private key is kept concealed from unauthorized access and employed in decryption.
Encryption: When a sender’s device is used to encrypt a message or data which then transmits the data using the recipient’s public key. This is how the content is confused into an identification-less form that cannot be made readable without the help of a private key corresponding to the recipient.
Transmission: The encrypted message, including possibly various necessary metadata, is put into the communication channel. These media could go by the name of the internet, social networking platforms, email services, etc.
Decryption: Once received, on the sending device which uses its own private key to decipher the transmitted message. This characteristic of blockchain technology will make it very difficult. If not impossible for unauthorized parties to gain access to the information that can be found within that particular blockchain.
Message Access: Once decrypted, the intended recipient may have at his or her disposal a genuine, plaintext message or data. This encryption technique guarantees that only the sender and the intended receiver(s) can access the text of the correspondence.

End-to-End Encryption vs Encryption in-Transit

E2EE and ET are special cryptography methods that ensure the security of the communication, however, the functions and level of protection of these methods are different.

Read more about E2EE Use Cases, Challenges, Importance and Benefits of End-to-end Encryption