This is a submission for DEV Computer Science Challenge v24.06.12: One Byte Explainer.
Explainer
Assymetric encryption is like a locked box. Anyone can put a letter through the slot (public key), but only the owner can open it and get the letter (private key). This ensures that only the intended receipient can read the message.
Top comments (2)
Can sender decrypt the encrypted message?
Asymmetric encryption, also called public-key encryption, uses a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. Imagine you have a locked mailbox (the encryption process) where anyone can drop a message (data). Only you have the key to open that mailbox (the decryption process) and read the messages inside.
Here's how it works: Bob wants to securely send a message to Alice. Alice has a key pair—a public key and a private key. She shares her public key with Bob, who uses it to lock (encrypt) his message. Once encrypted, only Alice can unlock (decrypt) it with her private key. This way, even if someone intercepts the message while it's locked (encrypted), they can't read it without Alice's private key. Bob cannot decrypt the message himself after encrypting it with Alice's public key because he doesn't have access to Alice's private key.
Bob cannot decrypt the message himself after encrypting it with Alice's public key because he doesn't have access to Alice's private key.
in other words, the sender can decrypt the encrypted message only if they have access to the private key of the receiver, which means that the receiver's keys, and therefore the entire communication channel, are compromised.
Hope this answers your question!