Understanding Asymmetric (Public Key) Cryptography
Asymmetric cryptography, also called public key cryptography, is an essential element of a secure cyberspace. However, understanding asymmetric cryptography can be challenging for people who are not familiar with computer science or cybersecurity principles. This article is written for the non-techie who wants to understand public key cryptography.
Symmetric Cryptography
When two parties (two people, two computers, two companies, etc.) wish to communicate sensitive information with each other, they will need some way to hide that information as it travels from sender to receiver. One way is to take the original data, which we will call plaintext, and convert it into a message that cannot be understood, which we will call ciphertext. Some type of method is used to make this conversion. It can be as simple as a set of steps “switch the first letter of the word with the last letter of the word,” to a more complex mathematical formula. The process of changing the plaintext into the ciphertext is referred to as encryption.
Once the message has been received by the intended party, that party can convert the ciphertext back to plain text. They must know the original method used to encrypt the message, and then they can reverse the process. The process of changing the ciphertext back to plain text is…
