Chapter 7: Cryptography - Types of Asymmetric Systems

Just having symmetric key cryptography has many drawbacks. This is why asymmetric systems were developed. The first one developed is called the Diffie-Hellman Algorithm. Here, two different systems can make a symmetric key in a secure manner without first having established a relationship or agreement. It is however, vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Another asymmetric algorithm, RSA, is the standard used for digital signatures. It provides key encryption and is secure because it factors large numbers into their prime numbers. A third is El Gamal, which is an extension of Diffie-Hellman. It works by calculating discrete logs in a finite field. It is usually the slowest form.