RSA is a public-key cryptosystem used for Internet encryption and authentication. It is primarily used for which purpose?

RSA is a public-key cryptosystem used for Internet encryption and authentication. It is primarily used for which purpose?

• A. Encryption and authentication
• B. Key exchange
• C. Data integrity
• D. Non-repudiation

Answer: (A)

Public-key cryptography provides confidentiality through encryption and authenticity through digital signatures. With RSA, you can encrypt data using the recipient’s public key so only they can read it, and you can sign data with your private key so others can verify who sent it. These two capabilities—protecting message content and proving the sender’s identity—are the fundamental roles RSA serves in Internet security. While RSA can also facilitate key exchange by encrypting a session key and signatures can support non-repudiation, the broad, essential use in internet encryption and authentication is the combination of encryption for confidentiality and authentication via signatures.

Public-key cryptography provides confidentiality through encryption and authenticity through digital signatures. With RSA, you can encrypt data using the recipient’s public key so only they can read it, and you can sign data with your private key so others can verify who sent it. These two capabilities—protecting message content and proving the sender’s identity—are the fundamental roles RSA serves in Internet security. While RSA can also facilitate key exchange by encrypting a session key and signatures can support non-repudiation, the broad, essential use in internet encryption and authentication is the combination of encryption for confidentiality and authentication via signatures.