Daily Archives: January 29, 2016

Public key cryptography is sometimes also referred to as asymmetric cryptography. Public key cryptography is a relatively new field, invented in 1975 [DIFF76b] (at least that’s the first published record—it is rumored that NSA or similar organizations may have discovered this technology earlier). Unlike secret key cryptography, keys are not shared. Instead, each individual has […]

There are three kinds of cryptographic functions: hash functions, secret key functions, and public key functions. We will describe what each kind is, and what it is useful for. Public key cryptography involves the use of two keys. Secret key cryptography involves the use of one key. Hash functions involve the use of zero keys! […]