What are pros and cons of Public Key Cryptography?

Public Key Cryptography, also known as asymmetric cryptography, uses a pair of keys for encryption and decryption: a public key, which can be shared openly, and a private key, which is kept secret. Here are the pros and cons of Public Key Cryptography:

Pros

1. Increased Security: One of the primary advantages is that the private key never needs to be transmitted or revealed to anyone, reducing the risk of interception and unauthorized access[3][6].

2. Secure Communication: Public key encryption ensures that sensitive communication between two parties remains secure, even if intercepted by hackers. The public key is used to encrypt the message, and the recipient’s private key is used for decryption, ensuring that only the intended recipient can read the message[1].

3. Non-repudiation: Public key cryptography provides non-repudiation, meaning the sender of a message cannot deny having sent the message once it has been sent. This is crucial in legal and financial scenarios where proof of identity and authenticity is required[1][3].

4. Integrity: It ensures the integrity of the message, meaning that the message cannot be altered during transmission without being detected by the recipient[1].

5. Scalability: Public key encryption is scalable to large numbers of users and can be used for secure communication among a large number of people, making it ideal for use in business environments, government agencies, and other organizations[1].

6. Convenience: Unlike symmetric encryption, public key encryption does not require the exchange of keys before communication, making it easier to use in web applications and for secure email communication[1].

7. Digital Signatures: Public key cryptography can provide digital signatures, which confirm the integrity and authenticity of a message. This allows digitally signed messages to be proved authentic to a third party, such as a judge, thus allowing such messages to be legally binding[3][5].

Cons

1. Speed: Public key cryptography is generally slower than symmetric key encryption due to the computationally intensive ...