Encryption is the process of encoding data with the intent of keeping it safe from unauthorized access. In this quick tutorial, we’ll learn how to encrypt and decrypt files in Linux systems using GPG (GNU Privacy Guard), which is popular and free software.

What encryption does Linux use?

Most Linux distributions mainly use a one-way encryption algorithm, which is called Data Encryption Standard (DES) for encrypting passwords. These encrypted passwords are then stored typically in /etc/passwd or in /etc/shadow but this is less commonly.

Does Linux have encryption?

Linux distribution provides a few standard encryption/decryption tools that can prove to be handy at times.