.1 Key Generation

So far, you have seen an overview of the basic cryptographic protocols that are used to secure a variety of modern systems. In 5430, you talked about symmetric encryption (e.g., AES), asymmetric encryption (e.g., RSA, El Gamal), hybrid encryption, MACs, digital signatures, and key agreement protocols. This means you are now familiar with many of the essential cryptographic building blocks that are used to design secure systems. However, successfully security a system using cryptographic tools inherently presumes successful key management. Key management is the problem of managing cryptographic keys in a system; this includes key generation, storage, use, and replacement. A failure in any of these areas can introduce a vulnerability that might result in compromised security.