SECAI Core · phase 10 of 15
Encryption
Scrambling the characters used in a message so that the message can be seen but not understood or modified unless it can be deciphered. Encryption provides for a secure means of transmitting data and authenticating users. It is also used to store data securely.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- Encryption turns readable data into scrambled text using a key, so anyone without the key sees only noise. It protects data in transit, data at rest, and can help prove who you are talking to.
- Example
- An AI platform stores uploaded fine-tuning datasets encrypted with AES-256 in object storage. A leaked backup bucket then yields ciphertext, not customer records, because the key lives elsewhere.
- Why it matters
- Training data, prompts, and model weights are valuable targets. Encrypting them limits the blast radius of a breach and keeps eavesdroppers out of the API traffic between apps and models.
- Hook
- A locked diary in plain sight: everyone can see the book, only the key holder can read it.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 10: Identity, Access, and Cryptographic Foundations
Before examining threats to systems, establish the foundational security primitives — identity, authentication, authorisation, and the cryptography underpinning them.
