Public Key Cryptography (PKC) or Asymmetric Cryptosystems – ever heard about this cryptography (data encryption) method? This cryptography method involves two non-identical, but mathematically linked keys. One key is used to encrypt the data and is termed the public key, whereas the other key is used to decrypt the data and is termed the private key. The public key is shared amongst multiple users for encrypting the data. The private key on the other hand is secretly stored by the recipient of the data. The recipient can use this key to decrypt the information and read the message. Asymmetric cryptography is more preferred in the modern era than symmetric cryptography, wherein only one key is used in the entire encryption and decryption process. SSL Certificates & Public Key Cryptography: Public keys are too huge and hence sharing them is a tough task, since they are difficult to remember. Hence, these keys are placed on SSL certificates, for secured communication as well as easy sharing. The private key which is also named the secret key is never shared with anyone. Its either stored in the user’s operating system, any software, or any external hardware (USB token) and is used for decrypting the ciphertext. PKC is mostly used in SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layers/Transport Layer Security) certificates, which are issued by reputed Certificate Authorities (CA). When these security certificates are installed on the website, they show their presence in the form of HTTPS (hyper-text transfer protocol secure) in the URL and a padlock …
