CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Since times immemorial, the major issue in data communication are security of data to maintain its confidentiality, proper access control, integrity and availability of data. As soon as a sensitive message was etched on a clay tablet or written on the royal walls, then it must have been foremost in the sender’s mind that the information should  not get intercepted and read by a rival.

Today in the e-age, the need to protect communications from prying eyes is greater than ever before. Cryptography, the science of encryption plays a central role in mobile phone communication, e-commerce, Pay-TV, sending private e-mails, transmitting financial information and touches on many aspects of daily lives.

Today’s technology can be traced back to earliest ciphers, and have grown as a result of evolution. The initial ciphers were cracked, so new, stronger ciphers emerged. Code breakers set to work on these and eventually found flaws, forcing cryptographers to invent better ciphers and so on. The significance of key is an enduring principle of cryptography

Conventional Encryption is referred to as symmetric encryption or single key encryption. It was the only type of encryption in use prior to the development of public-key encryption. Conventional encryption can further be divided into the categories of classical and modern techniques. The hallmark of the classical technique is that the cipher or the key to the algorithm is shared i.e. known by the parties involved in the secured communication. So there are two types of cryptography: secret key and public key cryptography .In secret key same key is used for both encryption and decryption. In public key cryptography each user has a public key and a private key.

• Theoretical Background

The recent proliferation of powerful and inexpensive encryption technology has given law-abiding citizens and criminals alike an unprecedented ability to keep their secrets safe. Potent encryption software is freely available online, and even a novice computer user now has the power to protect her private and confidential data behind a virtually impenetrable wall of protection. Yet, the spread of encryption has also seriously hindered law enforcement during the investigation of cybercrimes.

Criminals are able to hide incriminating digital evidence in encrypted hard drives and volumes, which can make it impossible for investigators to access the data. There is therefore need for courts to encrypt their data before anyone can have access to them.

• Statement of the Problem

The following problems were identified in managing court data:

• Courts do not have an efficient system to secure their information
• Accumulation of paper files in court.
• Unauthorized access to sensitive information

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to develop a computerized data encryption and decryption system. The following are the objectives of the study:

1. To develop a software that will aid the encryption of court data.
2. To implement a system that will allow authorized users only to decrypt court record data.
3. To design a system that maintains a database of court records that can be encrypted

1.4 Significance of the study

The significance of the study is that it will provide an effective means to secure court data. The study is also significant in that it will serve as a useful research material for other researchers seeking information pertaining the subject.

1.5 Scope of the Study

The research work is designed to encrypt court data and decrypt court data only by the authorized user. This is to enable lawmakers maintain accurate information in the magistrate court, Ikot Ekpene

1.6 Organization of the Research

This research work is organized into five chapters.

Chapter one is concerned with the introduction of the research study and it presents the preliminaries, theoretical background, statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Chapter two focuses on the literature review, the contributions of other scholars on the subject matter is discussed.

Chapter three is concerned with the system analysis and design. It analyzes the present system to identify the problems and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system. The system design is also presented in this chapter.

Chapter four presents the system implementation and documentation. The choice of programming language, analysis of modules, choice of programming language and system requirements for implementation.

Chapter five focuses on the summary, conclusion and recommendations are provided in this chapter based on the study carried out.

1.7 Definition of terms

Data: A representation of facts or ideas in a formalized manner capable of being communicated or manipulated by some process..

Encryption – The process of encoding a message so that its meaning is not obvious

Decryption – The process of decoding a an encoded message to make the meaning obvious

Cryptography – The practice of concealing  information from unauthorized users.

Security: The art of protecting an item, information or individual from harm or alteration.

System: A combination of related parts or components working together to achieve a particular goal.

Software: Set of instructions given to the computer to execute.

Record: A set of data relating to a single individual or item.