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Simple English definitions for legal terms
key encryption
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A quick definition of key encryption:
Key encryption is a way to keep messages safe and secret. It uses a special code called a "key" to turn a message into a jumbled-up mess that no one can read. The person who sends the message has a secret key that can un-jumble the message, but no one else can. This makes sure that only the person who is supposed to read the message can understand it. Key encryption also checks to make sure that the message hasn't been changed or tampered with. It doesn't tell you who sent the message, though - that's something else called a digital certificate.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Key encryption is a software-cryptography system that uses a secure key pair, consisting of a public key and a private key, to verify a digital signature and decode a secure, coded document. The public key is known to all possible receivers of a message, while the private key is known only to the message's sender. Key encryption transforms the message's characters into an indecipherable “hash.” A person who has the signer's public key can decode the message and detect whether it has been altered and whether it was transmitted using the sender's private key. It does not necessarily identify the sender; identity is verified using a digital certificate.
Example: Suppose Alice wants to send a secure message to Bob. Alice uses key encryption to encode the message using Bob's public key. Bob can then use his private key to decode the message and read it. This ensures that only Bob can read the message, and that the message has not been tampered with during transmission.
Explanation: In this example, key encryption is used to ensure that only the intended recipient (Bob) can read the message. Alice uses Bob's public key to encode the message, which can only be decoded using Bob's private key. This ensures that even if someone intercepts the message during transmission, they will not be able to read it without Bob's private key.