Which of the following statements is true regarding the use of public key encryption to secure data while it is being transmitted across a network?
Which of the following statements is true regarding the use of public key encryption to secure data while it is being transmitted across a network?
Public key encryption, also known as asymmetric encryption, involves two different keys: a public key and a private key. The public key is made available to anyone who wants to send encrypted data, while the private key is kept secret by the recipient. This ensures that only the recipient can decrypt the data, maintaining the security of the transmitted information. Therefore, the key used to encrypt the data is made public, but the key used to decrypt the data is kept private.
Public key cryptography is a method of encrypting or signing data with two different keys and making one of the keys, the public key, available for anyone to use. The other key is known as the private key. Data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key.
The answer is correct
The correct answer is B. The key used to encrypt the data is kept private, but the key used to decrypt the data is made public. Public key encryption, also known as asymmetric encryption, involves the use of two different but mathematically related keys: a public key and a private key. In this encryption scheme, the public key is used to encrypt the data, while the private key is used to decrypt the data. The purpose of making the public key widely available is to allow anyone to encrypt data that can only be decrypted by the owner of the corresponding private key. By keeping the private key secret, the owner maintains exclusive access to the decrypted information.