The Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter celebrated Global Encryption Day 2025 with an insightful session that highlighted the critical role encryption plays in securing data and communications in today’s digital ecosystem. The event was held as part of the broader Cybersecurity Awareness Month, bringing together students, IT professionals, and technology enthusiasts eager to deepen their understanding of encryption and its applications.
The session was opened by Mrs. Maud Ashong Elliot, President of ISOC Ghana Chapter, who provided an overview of the Chapter’s ongoing initiatives and shared simple steps for becoming an ISOC member. The main presentation was delivered by Mr. Eric Sowah Badger, a professional ethical hacker, who described encryption as “the invisible shield of cybersecurity.” He demonstrated how encryption transforms readable data into coded information that can only be deciphered by authorized users.
Participants explored key concepts including symmetric and asymmetric encryption, learned to distinguish encryption from encoding, and engaged with algorithms such as Base64, Morse Code, Caesar Cipher, Cyber Chef, Vigenère Cipher, ROT13, and ROT47.
The highlight of the session was a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, where participants applied cryptographic concepts to solve practical tasks, reinforcing their understanding in an interactive and hands-on manner. The event concluded with reflections on the future of encryption, emphasizing the emerging significance of post-quantum cryptography in safeguarding systems against next-generation computing threats.post-quantum cryptography in safeguarding systems against next-generation computing threats.
