Public-key cryptography: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:43, 10 February 2025

Revision as of 12:56, 13 March 2025

Line 202:

=== Alteration of public keys ===

Another potential security vulnerability in using asymmetric keys is the possibility of a [[Man-in-the-middle attack|"man-in-the-middle" attack]], in which the communication of public keys is intercepted by a third party (the "man in the middle") and then modified to provide different public keys instead. Encrypted messages and responses must, in all instances, be intercepted, decrypted, and re-encrypted by the attacker using the correct public keys for the different communication segments so as to avoid suspicion.<ref>{{citationCite needed|web reason|title=deletedPublic blogKey Encryption - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics references|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/public-key-encryption |access-date=January2025-03-13 2024|website=www.sciencedirect.com}}</ref>

A communication is said to be insecure where data is transmitted in a manner that allows for interception (also called "[[Sniffing attack|sniffing]]"). These terms refer to reading the sender's private data in its entirety. A communication is particularly unsafe when interceptions can not be prevented or monitored by the sender.<ref>