Private Key

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Definition 1

A Private Key1) Elaine Barker, NIST, Recommendation for Key Management: Part 1 - General, NIST Special Publication 800-57 Part 1, Revision 5, May 2020, Accessed 18 January 2022, https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-57pt1r5.pdf is a Cryptographic Key used with a definition_1 cryptographic algorithm that is uniquely associated with an entity and is not made public. In an asymmetric-key (definition_1) cryptosystem, the private key has a corresponding definition_1. Depending on the algorithm, the private key may be used, for example:

Compute the corresponding definition_1,Compute a digital signature that may be verified by the corresponding definition_1,Decrypt keys that were encrypted by the corresponding definition_1, orCompute a shared secret during a key-agreement transaction.

Definition 2

A Private Key, also known as a secret key, is a variable in cryptography that is used with an algorithm to encrypt and decrypt code. Secret keys are only shared with the key’s generator, making it highly secure. Private Keys play an important role in symmetric cryptography, asymmetric cryptography, and cryptocurrencies.

The complexity and length of the private key determine how feasible it is for an interloper to carry out a brute force attack and try out different keys until the right one is found.

Public Key are for encrypting data by anyone with access to the Public Key. The Private Key is required to decrypt the data, which is why the Private key needs to be kept secret.

Source: https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/private-key