RSA

RSA is an encryption and authentication procedure frequently used on the internet. The algorithm used was originally developed in 1977 by the team of Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. RSA is part of web browsers like Internet Explorer and Navigator, and is also included as a part of Lotus Notes, Intuit’s Quicken and several other products. This encryption system is owned by RSA security, a company that licenses technologies and distributes algorithm development packages. The technologies used are a part of existing internet and computing standards. The RSA algorithm involves multiplying two prime numbers in order to produce a public and private and key. After both keys have been produced, the prime numbers are no longer needed and may be discarded. While both keys are needed for encrypting and decrypting, only one person needs to know the private key. When using the RSA system, a private key is never required to be transmitted across the internet.