What is Public Key Technology (PKT)?
A user has two keys in PKT systems: a public key, and a private key. The user may publish the public key freely. The keys operate as inverses giving rise to two results. Only the holder of a private key can decode a message someone else has encrypted with the corresponding public key. Also, a user can sign a message with a private key, and the signature can only be verified with the corresponding public key. These two mechanisms allow authentication of an individual, an organisation or a role, non-repudiation of messages, and secure transfer of information.
