Asymmetric Algorithms

Question 1

What is a Digital Signature?

Answer 1

A hash digest of a message encrypted with the sender’s private key to let the recipient know the document was created and sent by the person claiming to have sent it
[ hash (integrity) –> encryption of hash using sender’s private key (non-repudiation) –> encrypt message using sender’s public key (confidentiality) ]

Question 2

What is Diffie-Hellman (DH)?

Answer 2

Asymmetric algorithm used to conduct key exchanges and secure key distribution over an unsecure network. Used for the key exchange inside of creating a VPN tunnel establishment as part of IPSec

Question 3

What is RSA?

Answer 3

Assymmetric algorithm that relies on the mathmematical difficulty of factoring large prime numbers, and supports key sizes between 1,024-bits and 4,096-bits

Question 4

What is Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)?

Answer 4

Heavily used in mobile devices and it’s based on the algebraic strucutre of elliptical curves over finite fields to define its keys