Hi everyone,
I’ve been diving into public key encryption lately, and I thought it would be great to start a discussion here to understand it better from real-world perspectives. I’ve learned so far that public key encryption (also known as asymmetric encryption) uses two keys: a public key (which can be shared openly) and a private key (which must be kept secure). The idea sounds simple, but when you start thinking about how it’s used in things like online banking, messaging apps, and secure websites, it becomes really fascinating. When we visit a secure website (HTTPS), our data is encrypted using this system. Even apps like WhatsApp and email services rely on encryption to keep our conversations private. But I’m still curious about a few things:
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How secure is public key encryption against modern cyber attacks?
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Is it slower compared to other encryption methods?
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Where is it most commonly used today (beyond websites)?
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And how do companies actually manage these keys at scale?
I’ve read some articles and watched videos, but I feel like real user experiences and insights are always more helpful. If you have experience working with encryption, cybersecurity, or even just general knowledge, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, if you know of any simple tools or examples to better understand how it works, please share!