Understanding What Needs Protection

The first step in preventing cryptographic failures involves identifying what data requires protection. Sensitive data extends beyond obvious targets like passwords and credit card numbers. Personal information, health records, business secrets, authentication tokens, and even seemingly innocent data that could be combined to reveal sensitive information all require cryptographic protection. Many developers underestimate what constitutes sensitive data, failing to protect information that seems harmless in isolation but becomes dangerous when aggregated.

Consider email addresses—while not secret, they're personally identifiable information that, when exposed in bulk, enables phishing attacks, spam, and identity theft. Session tokens, API keys, and database connection strings might seem like technical details, but their exposure can grant attackers complete system access. The principle should be: when in doubt, encrypt it. The cost of unnecessary encryption is minimal compared to the cost of a data breach.