Encryption is primarily used to safeguard the content of a message so that only the intended recipients can read it. This is done by replacing the content with unrecognizable data, which can be understood only by the intended recipient. Encryption has become a vital method for protecting data from those who might want to steal it.
Encryption can be used in two situations:
- Encryption in Transit
- Encryption at Rest (EAR)
Encryption in Transit
This refers to data that is encrypted when it is in transit. For example, the data could be encrypted when its sent from your browser to the web server or to other third parties through integrations.
Encrypting data in transit protects your data from man-in-the-middle attacks.
Encryption at Rest
This refers to data that is encrypted when it's stored, either on a disc, in a database, or in some other way. When coupled with encryption in transit, encrypting data when it's being stored in servers provides an even higher level of security. EAR protects against any possible data leak due to a server compromise or data breach.
While encryption in transit is done during the transport layer, EAR is done at the application layer using the
AES-256 algorithm. This is a symmetric encryption algorithm that uses 128-bit blocks and 256-bit keys. The key used to convert the data from plain text to cipher text is called the Data Encryption Key (DEK). The DEK is further encrypted using the Key Encryption Key (KEK), providing yet another layer of security. The keys are generated and maintained by our in-house
Key Management Service (KMS).
What data do we encrypt in Zoho Projects?
The following data is encrypted at rest:
- All file attachments and documents
- PII collected through the product
- Sensitive data like integration tokens
- Up to ten custom fields in each of the Tasks, Bugs, Timesheets, and Projects modules
Full-disk encryption
Aside from application layer encryption,
full disk encryption is available for our IN, AU, and JP data centers. Full disk encryption is also enabled in the EU region for Zoho Projects.