Re: SQL encryption - how to do in-place encryption

[CRPence <CRPbottle@xxxxxxxxx>]

  Ah.  I thought I had recalled reading recommendations to base64 
encode binary stream data before some of the typical encryption schemes; 
presumably they had suggested afterward, and I just mis-remembered. 
Perhaps twisted in my recollection because it seems a bit daft to do 
base64 encoding to the output of the encryption; i.e. having started as 
binary and remaining binary after encryption, then there is no change in 
requirements to transport the data as binary.  But I see how an 
/accidental/ change, e.g. transport as text, could allow a base64 
encoded value to survive such mistakes and enable decryption.

Regards, Chuck

On 02 May 2012 14:45, Tim Bronski wrote:
> Just to be picky...in crypto terms "plaintext" defines the raw
> unencrypted data and has nothing to do with it being "text". The
> output of an encryption process might base64 encode the result if
> there's any chance the data might be accidentally modified but that's
> got nothing to do with the encryption per se. All modern algorithms
> work with binary data in bits or blocks of bits. <<SNIP>>
>
> On 5/2/2012 11:10 PM, CRPence wrote:
> > But that would introduce a new problem, because most encryption is
> > designed to encrypt /plaintext/ data, so the binary data would
> > first need to be passed through a base64 encoding to enable proper
> > encryption.