diff -r c11c717470d0 -r 11c66574c2a2 cryptomgmtlibs/securitydocs/doxygen_docs/Security_intro_PKC.dox --- a/cryptomgmtlibs/securitydocs/doxygen_docs/Security_intro_PKC.dox Fri Apr 16 16:52:34 2010 +0300 +++ /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 @@ -1,35 +0,0 @@ -/** -@page Security_intro_PKC Public Key Cryptography -\n - -Public key (sometimes called @ref asymmetric) cryptography allows encrypted messages to be sent without the need to establish a -shared secret key. It involves the use of two keys called a key pair: a private key and a public key. The private key is -kept secret, and a public key is made publically available. - -All entities using such a system would typically possess a key pair. They will use these keys either for @ref encryption or -@ref decryption. In any case, if one of the keys is used for @ref encryption, then only the other key can be used for @ref decryption. - -So, in public key cryptography, to send a message in an encrypted form to a receiver, the sender: -@li Gets hold of the receiver's public key. -@li Encrypts the message with the receiver's public key. -@li Sends the encrypted message. - -The receiver then decrypts the message using its private key. Only the receiver, who has access to the corresponding -private key, can decrypt it. - -That is the basic process used for a pure PKC system. In the real world, however, public key cryptography is typically -used in conjunction with traditional symmetric key cryptography. This is done in order to reduce key management problems -while at same time taking advantage of the superior speed of the latter. The method for doing this is called a digital -envelope: a random symmetric private secret key is generated, the message is encrypted with this secret key using a -symmetric algorithm, and then the secret key is encrypted with the receiver's public key using an @ref asymmetric algorithm. - -The other main use for public key cryptography is in signing (see: @ref Security_signatures). - -While public key cryptography ensures that only the entity with access to the corresponding key will be able to read the -message or could have signed a given message, it gives no assurance that this entity is/are actually the entity they -claim to be. This is where certificates come in. @ref Security_intro_certificates are needed to solve the problem of -@ref authentication. - - - -*/ \ No newline at end of file