Võtmepaarid

Võtmepaarid, also known as key pairs, are fundamental components in asymmetric cryptography. A võtmepaar consists of two mathematically related keys: a public key and a private key. The public key can be freely shared with anyone, while the private key must be kept secret by its owner. These keys are generated using algorithms such as RSA or ECC.

The primary functions of võtmepaarid are encryption and digital signatures. When data is encrypted using a public key, only the corresponding private key can decrypt it. This ensures confidentiality, as only the intended recipient, who possesses the private key, can access the information. Conversely, a digital signature is created by encrypting a hash of the message with the private key. Anyone can then verify the signature using the corresponding public key, confirming the sender's identity and ensuring the message's integrity, meaning it hasn't been altered.

Võtmepaarid are widely used in various security applications, including secure communication protocols like TLS/SSL (used for secure websites), secure email (PGP), secure shell (SSH) for remote access, and cryptocurrency transactions. The security of asymmetric cryptography relies on the computational difficulty of deriving the private key from the public key.