Introducing PKA cryptography and using PKA verbs

Read the provided introduction to Public Key Algorithms (PKA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). When you use the CCA PKA verbs, take note of these programming considerations, such as the PKA key token structure and key management.

You can use PKA support to exchange symmetric (secret) keys securely, and to compute digital signatures for authenticating messages to users.

The preceding chapters focused on AES or DES cryptography or secret-key cryptography. This cryptography is symmetric (senders and receivers use the same key, which must be exchanged securely in advance, to encipher and decipher data).

Public key cryptography does not require exchanging a secret key. It is asymmetric (the sender and receiver each have a pair of keys, a public key and a different but corresponding private key).