PKI in action
In general, we know "encryption" is more secure and that it requires secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates. But the question is, do we really know what the role of a certificate is and how this encryption and decryption works? It is very important to know how these all work, as it makes deployment and management of PKI easy.
Symmetric keys versus asymmetric keys
There are two types of cryptographic methods used to encrypt data:
- Symmetric keys: Symmetric methods work in exactly the same way as your door lock works. You have one key to lock or open. This method is also known as the shared secret method or private key method. Virtual private network (VPN) connections and backup software are good examples of systems that use symmetric keys to encrypt data.
- Asymmetric keys: This method, on the other hand, uses a key pair to perform the encryption and decryption. It includes two keys: one is a public key, and the other one is a private...
