From the course: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Cert Prep: 1 General Security Concepts
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Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography
From the course: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Cert Prep: 1 General Security Concepts
Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography
There are many different kinds of encryption algorithms, and there are also different ways that we can categorize them. Two of the major categories of encryption algorithms are symmetric and asymmetric algorithms. You may already be familiar with the concept of symmetry, meaning that two things are the same. Symmetric shapes have two sides that when divided along an axis, are identical. Similarly, the human face may be symmetric. In cryptography, symmetry relates to keys rather than shapes, and we have two categories of encryption algorithms. In symmetric encryption algorithms, also known as shared secret encryption algorithms, the encryption and decryption operation use the same key. If one user encrypts a message using the secret key apple, a second user would have to decrypt the message with that same secret key. It's a shared secret. Asymmetric encryption algorithms, on the other hand, use different keys for encryption and decryption. These algorithms are also known as public key…