Which cryptographic concept uses a public key for encryption and a distinct, mathematically paired private key for decryption?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Asymmetric (public-key) cryptography
- Step 1: Asymmetric cryptography (such as RSA or Elliptic Curve Cryptography) relies on two paired keys.
- Step 2: Data encrypted with the recipient's freely distributed public key can only be decrypted by the recipient's secret private key.
Answer
Asymmetric (public-key) cryptography.
Why not the others: 'Symmetric cryptography' (e.g., AES) uses the identical secret key for both encryption and decryption; 'HMAC' provides integrity verification, not decryption; 'Caesar cipher' is a simple symmetric substitution cipher.
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