Public Key
Public Key: Public part of an asymmetric key pair that is typically used to verify digital signatures or encrypt data.
Definition
Public part of an asymmetric key pair that is typically used to verify digital signatures or encrypt data.
Alternative Definitions
- Definition 2
A mathematical key that has public availability and that applications use to verify signatures created with its corresponding private key. Depending on the algorithm, public keys can encrypt messages or files that the corresponding private key can decrypt.
- Definition 3
A cryptographic key that may be widely published and is used to enable the operation of an asymmetric (public key) cryptographic algorithm.
- Definition 4
A cryptographic encryption key whic h may safely be revealed to others because it is useful only to encrypt messages and is useless for d ecrypting them. Distribution of the public key allows any number of people to send secure messa ges to the key owner, who can decrypt them using his PRIVATE KEY. See CRYPTOGRAPHY.