APPLICATION OF DATA ENCRYPTION IN MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Abstract. In today’s digital world, where a significant portion of business operations and data exchange takes place in electronic format, encryption becomes an indispensable tool for ensuring security. This article is dedicated to the description of the developed application software that implements data encryption algorithms. The software application can be used in managerial activities to provide an adequate level of data protection, considering potential threats. Sensitive company data that require special attention in terms of security include the following: trade secrets, financial information, internal correspondence, as well as personal data of employees and clients, etc. Encrypting these types of data allows companies to protect their commercial information, reduce the risk of financial and reputational losses. In developing the software, the ChaCha20 and Poly1305 algorithms were used at several key stages. Initially, the core functions, such as QuarterRound and ChaChaBlock, which perform the transformation of the ChaCha20 state, were implemented. Then, a mechanism for encrypting plain text was created by dividing it into blocks and using XOR to process each block with the generated key stream. In addition, the Poly1305 message authentication function, which generates a tag for verifying data integrity, was implemented. The final stage was the integration of both parts of the system – encryption and authentication, to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the transmitted data. Testing of the developed software was also conducted, demonstrating its correct operation. The developed application is easily integrated into almost any company’s IT infrastructure, can operate in real-time for encrypting internal correspondence or company network messages. Thanks to the open-source code, the software can be refined under customer conditions (for example, for encrypting documents in various formats for long-term storage and/or transmission over an open communication channel).