Asymmetric encryption uses different keys for encryption and decryption, unlike symmetric encryption. Public key cryptography is the most common form of asymmetric encryption, where each user has a public and private key. Asymmetric encryption allows for individual security and anonymity, but relies on computers and is susceptible to new cracking methods.
Asymmetric encryption is a type of encryption in which the key used to encrypt information is not the same as the key used to decrypt information. This format is the opposite of symmetric encryption, where the same key is used to both encrypt and decrypt information. The most common form of asymmetric encryption is public key cryptography. While asymmetric encryption is generally more secure than symmetric encryption, it is also more difficult to set up and virtually impossible to do without computer assistance.
Public key cryptography is by far the most common type of asymmetric encryption. In this system each user has two keys, one public and one private. The public key is published and available to anyone who wants to see it. The private key is mathematically related to the public key, but the algorithm is so complex and variable that there is no reasonable way to derive a private key from a public key.
Suppose a message is to be sent from one person to another. The sender will locate the recipient’s public key and use it to encrypt a message. When the recipient receives the message, he tries to open it. The recipient’s public key verifies that the private key is authentic. The private key then allows the user to decrypt the message and read it.
The main advantage of asymmetric encryption lies in individual security. The two people exchanging the message may never have met face-to-face; in fact, they don’t even need to know who the other person is. Because individuals can post their keys under any identity they wish, the system is completely anonymous.
This is in direct opposition to symmetric encryption where the same key is used for encryption and decryption. In this case, it’s virtually impossible not to know the person decrypting a message, since the key would have to be exchanged beforehand. In an asymmetric system, it’s easy to keep a key secure, but symmetric systems potentially have many people with the same key, increasing the risk of it being compromised.
One of the major drawbacks of asymmetric cryptography is its reliance on computers. Without a computer system, it is virtually impossible to perform asymmetric encryption or decryption. Since the whole process is controlled by a computer, it is also possible to interrupt the system with a computer. While some public-key ciphers are considered nearly crack-proof, a new cracking method comes out every year that requires new encryption countermeasures.
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