G10 Computer Science – ENCRYPTION N.
A 2023 DMC SC
Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption
What is encryption?
• The process of making data meaningless using encryption keys.
• Without the correct decryption key the data cannot be decoded (unscrambled).
The purpose of encryption
• To minimize the risk of a hacker (eavesdropper) intercepting data and/or making data
unreadable if intercepted.
• Encryption cannot prevent data from being intercepted.
Plaintext – The original text/message before it is put through an encryption algorithm.
Ciphertext – Encrypted data that is the result of putting a plaintext message through an
encryption algorithm.
Encryption algorithm – A complex piece of software that takes plaintext and generates an
encrypted string known as ciphertext
Symmetric encryption – A type of encryption in which the same encryption key is used both
to encrypt and decrypt a message.
• With symmetric encryption, the main drawback is keeping the encryption key a secret since
a single encryption key is required for both sender and recipient.
➢ We actually use 256-bit binary encryption keys that give 2256 (approximately, 1.2 × 1077)
possible combinations/codes.
Asymmetric encryption – A type of encryption that uses public keys and private keys to ensure data
is secure.
• Public key – A type of encryption key that is known to all users.
• Private key – A type of encryption key which is known only to the single user.
• Both types of key are needed to encrypt and decrypt messages.
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G10 Computer Science – ENCRYPTION N.A 2023 DMC SC
How does asymmetric encryption work?
Sender A needs to send a confidential document to Recipient B.
i. Recipient uses an algorithm to generate a matching pair of keys (private and public) that they
must keep stored on their computers.
ii. The matching pairs of keys are mathematically linked but can’t be derived from each other.
iii. Recipient now sends his public key to Sender.
Recipient sends
Sender his public key to Recipient
sender
iv. Sender now uses Recipient’s public key to encrypt the document he wishes to send.
v. Sender then sends his encrypted document (ciphertext) back to Recipient.
Sender sends an encrypted Recipient
Sender
document to Recipient
vi. The recipient uses his matching private key to unlock Sender’s document and decrypt it.
vii. This works because the public key used to encrypt the document and the private key used to
decrypt it are a matching pair generated on Recipient’s computer.
• Recipient can also exchange his public key with any number of people, so he is able to
receive encrypted messages and he can then decrypt them using his matching private key.
• However, if a two-way communication is required between all workers, then they all need to
generate their own matching public and private keys.
• Once this is done, all users then need to swap public keys so that they can send encrypted
documents/files/messages between each other.
• Each worker will then use their own private key to decrypt information being sent to them.
References: Cambridge IGCSE & O Level Computer Science – Watson & Williams
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