1. Explain in your own words how public key encryption is not symmetric.
Answer
Public key encryption is not symmetric because it does not use the same method to do both the encryption and decryption of the method. In public key encryption, two mathematically related, but not identical, keys are used. These two keys are the public key and the private key- the public key is used to encrypt whereas the private key is used to decrypt.
2. Cryptography relies on open standards - a protocol or standard that is publicly available. Why are open standards necessary?
Answer
Open standards are necessary because cryptography- take for example public key encryption- is reliant on the shareability of data between users. In public key encryption, it is necessary to share the public key in order to be able to encrypt the message in the first place. Without open standards, the internet is not publicly available and therefore cryptography is not even necessary in private communications.