Ever wondered how you can send secret messages online without anyone else reading them ? 🤔

Public key cryptography, like a digital lock and key system, keeps your online communication secure.

Imagine you have a special key ring with two keys,

🔑 Public Key (like a mailbox key): This key is for everyone! You can share it publicly, like putting your mailbox key in a community lockbox. Anyone can use this key to send you encrypted messages.

🔑 Private Key (like your house key): This key is TOP SECRET! You keep it safe, like your house key. Only you can use this key to decrypt messages sent with your public key.

But how it really works ?

1️⃣ You give your public key to anyone you want to send you encrypted messages.

2️⃣ They use your public key to encrypt their message, making it unreadable to anyone without the key.

3️⃣ They send the encrypted message to you.

4️⃣ Only YOU can decrypt the message using your private key.

But why encrypt with your private key ? 🤔

While it might seem strange, encrypting with your private key isn't for hiding messages from yourself. It's like signing a document with a digital signature.

Here's why,

🔐 Anyone can decrypt the message with your public key, proving it came from you (since only you have the private key to encrypt it).

🔐 If the message is tampered with during delivery, it won't decrypt properly, showing it's not original.

Public key cryptography keeps your online interactions secure and verifies the sender's identity. 🌐