Asymmetric Encryption
Also known as Public Key Encryption (PKE)
Most popular form of PKE: RSA
- Named (1977) after the initials of its inventors: Rivest, Shamir, and Adelman
- Forms the basis of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
- Patent expired in 2000; Now many companies offer it
Longer keys: 512 bits or 1,024 bits
Greatly reduces the key management problem
- Publicized Public keys easily accessible in a public directory
- Never distributed Private keys (kept secret)
- No need to exchange keys
- Sender uses the receiver’s public key to encrypt
- Receiver uses their private key to decrypt
- Public key cannot decrypt public key encrypted message, only private key will work