Implementation of RSA Cryptography for Web-Based Scholarship Application Data Security

Abstract

Data security is a crucial aspect in the development of information systems, especially those that manage sensitive data such as scholarship application systems. RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is a public-key cryptographic algorithm that provides robust security in digital communication. This research aims to implement RSA cryptography in a web-based scholarship application system to protect user data. The proposed system generates RSA public and private key pairs during user registration. All personal information submitted in the application form is encrypted using the public key before being stored in the database. The system also enables secure decryption using the private key when the user needs to view their data. The research employs PHP, MySQL, and phpMyAdmin as the main technologies, with RSA implemented using the OpenSSL library. Several testing methods were conducted, including unit testing, integration testing, security testing, and performance testing. The results show that the system can effectively encrypt and decrypt data, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential even if the database is compromised. The performance evaluation indicates acceptable processing times for encryption and decryption operations, making the system feasible for small to medium-scale usage. This implementation demonstrates how RSA can be effectively applied to enhance the security of web-based data management systems.