public-key technology (BC-SEC)
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Security (BC-SEC)
The technology used for securing digital documents.
Public-key technology uses key pairs to provide its protection. Each
participant receives an individual key pair consisting of a public key
and a private key. These keys have the following characteristics:
- The keys are pairs; they belong together.
- You cannot obtain the private key from the public key.
- As the name suggests, the public key is to be made public. The owner of
the keys distributes the public key as necessary. A recipient of a
signed document needs to have knowledge of this key in order to verify
the digital signature. In addition, to send an encrypted document
(digital envelope), the sender needs to know the recipient's public key.
- The private key is to be kept secret. The owner of the keys uses the
private key to generate his or her digital signature and to decrypt
messages protected
with a digital envelope. Therefore, the owner of the keys needs to make sure that no unauthorized person has access
to his or her private key.