What term describes secure web messaging where the encryption key is public and the decryption key is private?

What term describes secure web messaging where the encryption key is public and the decryption key is private?

• A. Symmetric Encryption
• B. Hashing
• C. Digital Signature
• D. Public Key Encryption

Answer: (D)

Public key encryption is a form of asymmetric cryptography where the encryption key is shared openly and the decryption key is kept private. This lets anyone encrypt a message using the public key, but only the owner who holds the private key can decrypt and read it. That differs from symmetric encryption, which uses the same key for both encryption and decryption, and from hashing, which is a one-way function used to verify data integrity rather than to conceal content. Digital signatures use a private key to create a signature that others verify with a public key, focusing on authentication and integrity rather than encrypting the message for confidentiality. In secure web messaging, public-key techniques are used to securely exchange a session key, which then enables fast symmetric encryption for the actual data.

Public key encryption is a form of asymmetric cryptography where the encryption key is shared openly and the decryption key is kept private. This lets anyone encrypt a message using the public key, but only the owner who holds the private key can decrypt and read it. That differs from symmetric encryption, which uses the same key for both encryption and decryption, and from hashing, which is a one-way function used to verify data integrity rather than to conceal content. Digital signatures use a private key to create a signature that others verify with a public key, focusing on authentication and integrity rather than encrypting the message for confidentiality. In secure web messaging, public-key techniques are used to securely exchange a session key, which then enables fast symmetric encryption for the actual data.