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Public and Private Keys Overview

Utilize symmetric cryptographic keys for encrypting and decrypting data. Use signing keys to digitally sign messages and verify the signatures of other entities.

Raidiam Connect's Public Key Infrastructure enables organizations participating in a trusted environment to obtain and utilize cryptographic key pairs in the form of a JSON Web Key Set (JWKS). Such keys can be used for data encryption/decryption or digital message signing.

  • Public Keys

Public keys, used for encryption or signature verification, are shared openly. They are represented as mathematical values, typically in binary format. However, when expressed in human-readable form, they appear as a complex sequence of characters, resembling a lengthy string of numbers and letters, serving as a lock that can be publicly distributed without compromising security. The main type of key used by the Trust Framework is the RSA Key (RFC 8017).

  • Private Keys

Private keys are bound to Public Keys and enable the decryption/encryption of data or the creation of digital signatures. Its format is similar to that of the Public Key - RSA Private Key Format. Organization's private keys must be kept secret at all times.