资料来源 : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

public-key encryption
     
         (PKE, Or "public-key cryptography") An
        {encryption} scheme, introduced by Diffie and Hellman in 1976,
        where each person gets a pair of keys, called the public key
        and the private key.  Each person's public key is published
        while the private key is kept secret.  Messages are encrypted
        using the intended recipient's public key and can only be
        decrypted using his private key.  This is often used in
        conjunction with a {digital signature}.
     
        The need for sender and receiver to share secret information
        (keys) via some secure channel is eliminated: all
        communications involve only public keys, and no private key is
        ever transmitted or shared.
     
        Public-key encryption can be used for {authentication},
        {confidentiality}, {integrity} and {non-repudiation}.
     
        {RSA encryption} is an example of a public-key cryptosystem.
     
        {alt.security FAQ
       
     (http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/bngusenet/alt/security/top.html)}.
     
        See also {knapsack problem}.
     
        (1995-03-27)