Data security requires many different steps. From secure data storage to secure data transfer and addressing network security and controlling who has access and preventing unauthorized access. It also includes training and auditing.
All of these steps use various level of secure building blocks, including RSA and AES.
These topics are more will be covered going frequently going forward.
RSA works by creating a private and public key pair. RSA-2048 uses two very large prime numbers, each with a size in the range of 2^2047 and 2^2048. A private key and a public key is generated using these prime numbers. Complex mathmatical equations are used to Encrypt a secret message on one workstation/server and Decrypt that message on another workstation/server.
A public key / private key pair is created, with variables with a common N, which is Prime1 * Prime2, D-N (Private Key), E-N (Public Key)
Encrypting a message. EMSG = (MSG ^ E) % N
Decrypting a message. DMSG = (EMSG ^ D) % N
Each prime number used for RSA-2048 will be between 2^2047 and 2^2048. An estimated number of prime numbers between 2^2047 and 2^2048 is approximtely 10^613.
No. Not Possible.
To put the number 10^613 in perspective, here are some estimates of the number of atoms in objects
The number of atoms in a human hair: 10^6
The number of atoms in a person: 10^27
The number of atoms in the Earth: 10^50
The number of atoms in the Sun: 10^57
The number of atoms in the Milky Way Galaxy: 10^67
The number of atoms in the Universe: 10^80
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a Symmetrical based encryption and decryption method. This means that a message can be encrypted and decrypted using the same "Key". Only the system encrypting and message and the system decrypting the (encrypted) message knows the "Key".
AES is considered the gold standard for data encryption both at rest and when data is transferred between two systems
AES can use different key sizes, 128 bits, 192 bits and 256 bits. They are known as AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256. AES-256 is recommended for most government, military, banking and most other organizations
AES uses a 16 byte block transfer method that encrypts the data in an unreabable message and can only be decrypted using the same "Key". AES also uses a "Seed" or "Initialization Vector" that continues to encrypt the data for information or files that are larger than the 16 byte blocks. The Seed/Initialization Vector is typically incremented by 1 so that the message is secure.