Key Points:
We have lots of reasons to keep secrets
Modern encryption is made up of many different tools
Key points:
Ciphers take a plaintext message and turn it into ciphertext
They can be reversed to get the plaintext back
They require a secret key to work
Basic ciphers are symmetric, they use the same key to encrypt and decrypt
Problems:
Swapping the secret key safely
Key points:
Two users can create a secret that no one else knows
They can do this in public even if others are listening
Problems:
They can't tell that they are talking to the right person
Key points:
Now users can send messages that only the intended recipient can read.
They can use this system to prove that they are who they say they are.
Problems:
This is SLOW. Not good for lots of data
How do you know the public key you have is actually from the right person?