Question

1. State the differences between hardware and software-based encryption.
2. How Wi-Fi Pineapples work?

Answer 1

ANSWER :-

Encryption : "Encryption is the process of encoding information or sensitive data so only authorized parties can access it."

Hardware Encryption :

• Hardware encryption means the encryption happens within the drive. Hardware encryption uses a devices onboard security to perform encryption and decryption. It is self-contained and doesn't require the help of any additional software. Therefore it is free from the any possibility of malicious code infection or vulnerability.

Software Encryption :

• Software encryption is the process of protecting your data using a software. The software is installed in  local-computer and encrypts your computer data.
• Software encryption typically relies on a password, give the right password and your files will be decrypted otherwise they remain locked.

Difference between hardware and software based encryption :-

Hardware Based Encryption

• Uses dedicated hardware,thus much faster to execute.
• Store keys and other importent data in a dedicated secure memory location.
• Not dependent on the operating system. Supported by dedicated software to operate the hardware.
• In hardware based encryption, special care taken to hide and protect the vital information, such as private key, to make it more difficult to access.

Software Based Encryption

• Uses shared hardware, thus slower to execute.
• No dedicated secure memory location available in software based encryption
• Dependent on the security levels and features of the operating system and supported software.
• In genral-purpose system where software based encryption is implemented, there are many ways to snoop to and access vital information.  

Wi-Fi Pineapples :-

• The Wi-Fi Pineapple is a piece of hardware that was originally created for network penetration testing.
• A WiFi Pineapple is a small, powerful device that can be used to steal data, snoop on unsuspecting users, or compromise your online accounts.

How it works:

• A Wi-Fi Pineapple sits between the user's laptop and the network, inspecting the data that flows between the two. The Pineapple's controller intercepts the information being transmitted back and forth between the network and the wireless device that's using Wi-Fi.