What is a public key algorithm?
Public key algorithms use different keys for encryption and decryption, and the decryption key cannot (practically) be derived from the encryption key. Public key methods are important because they can be used for transmitting encryption keys or other data securely even when the parties have no opportunity to agree on a secret key in private. The encryption key is also called the public key and the decryption key the private key. The security provided by these ciphers is based on keeping the private key secret.
