Preview
IB DP Computer Science — A2 Networks — Network security | SL | A2.4.4
📋 What You Will Learn
- Describe the process of encryption: plaintext, ciphertext, keys and algorithms
- Distinguish symmetric from asymmetric cryptography, including the key-distribution problem
- Explain how public and private keys are used in asymmetric cryptography
- Describe the role of digital certificates in establishing secure network connections
- Explain the significance of encryption key management
- Construct and trace a simple cipher in pseudocode, Java and Python
🔐 Why This Matters Imagine posting Bob an open padlock that only you have the key to. Anyone can snap your padlock shut on a box — but once closed, only you can open it. That is asymmetric cryptography: the open padlock is the public key you can hand to anyone; the key that opens it is the private key that never leaves you.
The Process of Encryption
📖 Definition — Encryption Encryption is the process of transforming readable data ( plaintext ) into an unreadable form ( ciphertext ) using an algorithm and a key , so that only someone holding the correct key can decrypt it back to plaintext.
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