What is the purpose of decryption in cybersecurity?

The purpose of decryption in cybersecurity is to recover the original plaintext from ciphertext. In the context of encryption, data is transformed into an unreadable format (ciphertext) to protect it from unauthorized access. Decryption is the process that reverses this transformation. It takes the encrypted data and converts it back into its original form, making it readable and usable again.

This is essential in scenarios where secure communication is necessary; for example, when sensitive information is transmitted over the internet, it is encrypted to prevent interception. Only those who hold the correct decryption key can recover the original data, thus ensuring that even if the data is intercepted, it remains protected from unauthorized users.

In contrast, obscuring sensitive data from unauthorized access relates more to encryption rather than decryption. Creating secure encryption keys is a fundamental part of the encryption process itself and does not directly pertain to decryption. Protecting databases from attacks is a broader cybersecurity effort that involves various strategies, of which encryption and decryption are just components.