The RSA algorithm is a widely used public-key cryptographic system that enables secure data transmission. It’s named after its inventors: Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman.
RSA is based on the mathematical properties of large prime numbers and modular arithmetic. It uses two keys:
Public key: Used for encryption (shared openly).
Private key: Used for decryption (kept secret).
Why RSA Is Secure
The security of RSA relies on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. Given
n, it's computationally hard to find p and q if they are large enough (e.g., 2048-bit keys).
Real-World Use Cases
Secure web browsing (HTTPS)
Digital signatures
Secure email
Cryptographic protocols (e.g., TLS, SSH)
