Asymmetric Key

Properties

name

Asymmetric Key

definition

Asymmetric keys are public and private keys, paired such that asymmetric (public-key) cryptography algorithms can be implemented using them. Public-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is any cryptographic system that uses pairs of keys: public keys that may be disseminated widely paired with private keys which are known only to the owner. There are two functions that can be achieved: using a public key to authenticate that a message originated with a holder of the paired private key; or encrypting a message with a public key to ensure that only the holder of the paired private key can decrypt it.

see also

http://dbpedia.org/resource/Public-key_cryptography