Definition: Communications encryption in which data is encrypted when being passed through a network, but routing information remains visible. End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data being read or secretly modified, other than by the true sender and recipient.
End-to-End Encryption explained
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) uses a process called Asymmetric Encryption Cryptography that encrypts data sent between a sender and receiver in a manner such that no third party can access it. The data is encrypted by the sender and the recipient retrieves the encrypted data and decrypts it themselves. As it travels to its destination, which could be through multiple systems and security domains, the data cannot be read or tampered with. Neither hackers nor unwanted third parties can access the encrypted data on the server.
E2EE takes place at device level. This means that data (which could be messages, documents and files, for example) are encrypted before leaving the device and are not decrypted until it reaches its destination. As a result, hackers are unable to access the data because they do not have the private keys required to decrypt the data. Instead, private keys are stored on the recipient’s device, making it much more difficult to access the data.
