Asymmetric cryptography refers to a type of cryptography where the key that is used to encrypt the data is different from the key that is used to decrypt the data. This is also known as public key cryptography. It uses both public and private keys to encrypt and decrypt data, respectively. Various asymmetric cryptography schemes are in use, including RSA, DSA, and ElGammal.
An overview of public key cryptography is shown in the following diagram:
Encryption/decryption using public/private keys
The preceding diagram illustrates how a sender encrypts data P using the recipient's public key and encryption function E and producing an output encrypted data C which is then transmitted over the network to the receiver. Once it reaches the receiver, it can be decrypted using the receiver's private key by feeding the C encrypted data into function D, which will output plaintext P. This way, the private key remains on the receiver's side, and there is no need to share keys in...