Asymmetric cryptography
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. These keys are called public and private keys, respectively, which is why asymmetric cryptography 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 and ElGamal encryption.
Public and private keys
A private key, as the name suggests, is a randomly generated number that is kept secret and held privately by its users. Private keys need to be protected and no unauthorized access should be granted to those keys; otherwise, the whole scheme of public key cryptography is jeopardized, as this is the key that is used to decrypt messages. Private keys can be of various lengths, depending on the type and class of algorithms used. For example, in RSA, typically, a...