diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/hazmat/primitives/asymmetric/index.rst | 22 |
1 files changed, 22 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/docs/hazmat/primitives/asymmetric/index.rst b/docs/hazmat/primitives/asymmetric/index.rst index dfa81d09..43761fde 100644 --- a/docs/hazmat/primitives/asymmetric/index.rst +++ b/docs/hazmat/primitives/asymmetric/index.rst @@ -3,6 +3,26 @@ Asymmetric algorithms ===================== +Asymmetric cryptography is a branch of cryptography where a secret key can be +divided into two parts, a :term:`public key` and a :term:`private key`. The +public key can be given to anyone, trusted or not, while the private key must +be kept secret (just like the key in symmetric cryptography). + +Asymmetric cryptography has two primary use cases: authentication and +confidentiality. Using asymmetric cryptography, messages can be signed with a +private key, and then anyone with the public key is able to verify that the +message was created by someone possessing the corresponding private key. This +can be combined with a `proof of identity`_ system to know what entity (person +or group) actually owns that private key, providing authentication. + +Encryption with asymmetric cryptography works in a slightly different way from +symmetric encryption. Someone with the public key is able to encrypt a message, +providing confidentiality, and then only the person in possession of the +private key is able to decrypt it. + +Cryptography supports three different sets of asymmetric algorithms: RSA, DSA, +and Elliptic Curve. + .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 1 @@ -11,3 +31,5 @@ Asymmetric algorithms rsa serialization utils + +.. _`proof of identity`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_infrastructure |