Question

Use one sentence to briefly describe the difference between symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption.

Answer 1

Symmetric encryption uses only one key for encryption as well as decryption that needs to be shared among the people who need to receive the message while Asymmetric Encryption consists of two cryptographic keys which are regarded as Public Key and Private Key to encrypt and decrypt messages when communicating. Symmetric encryption is an old technique while asymmetric encryption is relatively new. Symmetric encryption is a simple technique compared to asymmetric encryption as only one key is employed to carry out both the operations whereas for asymmetric encryption, Contribution from separate keys for encryption and decryption makes it a rather complex process. Due to its simplistic nature in symmetric encryption, both the operations i.e., encyption and decryption can be carried out pretty quickly while for asymmetric encryption, Because of encryption and decryption by two separate keys and the process of comparing them make it a tad slow procedure. Asymmetric encryption was introduced to complement the inherent problem of the need to share the key in symmetrical encryption model, eliminating the need to share the key by using a pair of public-private keys.