Asymmetric key algorithm overview

Asymmetric key algorithms are used by security applications to secure communications between two parties, as shown in Figure 99. Asymmetric key algorithms use two separate keys (one public and one private) for encryption and decryption. Symmetric key algorithms use only one key.

A key owner can distribute the public key in plain text on the network but must keep the private key in privacy. It is mathematically infeasible to calculate the private key even if an attacker knows the algorithm and the public key.