312-50V11 · Question #126
During the process of encryption and decryption, what keys are shared?
The correct answer is C. Public keys. In asymmetric (public-key) cryptography, public keys are freely distributed so others can encrypt data or verify signatures, while private keys remain secret.
Question
During the process of encryption and decryption, what keys are shared?
Options
- APrivate keys
- BUser passwords
- CPublic keys
- DPublic and private keys
How the community answered
(19 responses)- A5% (1)
- C89% (17)
- D5% (1)
Why each option
In asymmetric (public-key) cryptography, public keys are freely distributed so others can encrypt data or verify signatures, while private keys remain secret.
Private keys are never shared; they are kept exclusively by the owner to decrypt incoming messages or produce digital signatures.
User passwords are authentication credentials unrelated to the cryptographic key pairs used in the encryption and decryption process.
Public keys are by design shared openly with any party that needs to encrypt a message to the key owner or verify the owner's digital signature. Sharing the public key does not compromise security because the corresponding private key, required for decryption or signing, is never disclosed.
Only public keys are shared; distributing private keys would destroy the confidentiality guarantee of asymmetric encryption.
Concept tested: Public key sharing in asymmetric cryptography
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/seccrypto/public-private-key-pairs
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