What is Public Key and Private Key Cryptography, and How Does It Work?

Public key cryptography and private key cryptography refer to two different encryption schemes that serve two vastly different functions. In this article, we’ll give a quick overview of both, as well as what they’re used for.

Breaking Down Public Key and Private Key Cryptography

What is Private Key Cryptography?

Private key encryption is the original type of encryption. Dating back to the advent of cryptography, private key cryptosystems were the first and continue to be the most common. When using private key cryptography, both parties much each possess, or at least exchange the private key. The word “key” can be a bit misleading — the key itself is really just the cipher that’s used to scramble and unscramble the data being encrypted.

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How Do I Find My Comodo SSL Certificate Private Key?

Let’s Understand How to Get Private Key from Certificate

It’s always a good idea to know where your SSL certificates’ private keys are located, as they are the key (pun intended) to authorizing that your domain is the real deal. Whether you’re using a Comodo SSL certificate private key or one from another certificate authority (CA), it’s vital that you know where it is and keep it safe. Why is it so important? Because anyone who gets access to your private keys can spoof your website since it will now be “authenticated” with the compromised private key.

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