Which method of encryption involves both a public and private key for secure data transmission?

Which method of encryption involves both a public and private key for secure data transmission?

• A. Symmetric Encryption
• B. Asymmetric Encryption
• C. Hashing
• D. Tokenization

Answer: (B)

Asymmetric encryption is a method of encryption that utilizes a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. This dual-key approach is fundamental to creating secure communications over a potentially insecure channel. In this method, the public key can be shared openly, allowing anyone to encrypt a message intended for the owner of the corresponding private key. The private key, which must be kept confidential, is then used by the key owner to decrypt the incoming message. This ensures that only the intended recipient can access the original content. This dual-key mechanism not only supports confidentiality but also enables authentication and non-repudiation, as digital signatures can also be created using the private key, allowing others to verify the identity of the sender. Other methods like symmetric encryption, where the same key is used for both encryption and decryption, do not provide this level of flexibility or secure key exchange. Hashing serves a different purpose, primarily focusing on data integrity rather than confidentiality, and tokenization replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive equivalents, which does not involve encryption in the traditional sense. Each of these alternatives addresses different security needs and does not employ the dual-key system fundamental to asymmetric encryption.

Asymmetric encryption is a method of encryption that utilizes a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. This dual-key approach is fundamental to creating secure communications over a potentially insecure channel.

In this method, the public key can be shared openly, allowing anyone to encrypt a message intended for the owner of the corresponding private key. The private key, which must be kept confidential, is then used by the key owner to decrypt the incoming message. This ensures that only the intended recipient can access the original content. This dual-key mechanism not only supports confidentiality but also enables authentication and non-repudiation, as digital signatures can also be created using the private key, allowing others to verify the identity of the sender.

Other methods like symmetric encryption, where the same key is used for both encryption and decryption, do not provide this level of flexibility or secure key exchange. Hashing serves a different purpose, primarily focusing on data integrity rather than confidentiality, and tokenization replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive equivalents, which does not involve encryption in the traditional sense. Each of these alternatives addresses different security needs and does not employ the dual-key system fundamental to asymmetric encryption.