Which protocol uses an asymmetric key pair to deliver the shared session key?

Which protocol uses an asymmetric key pair to deliver the shared session key?

• A. Secure Sockets Layer
• B. RSA
• C. DES
• D. AES

Answer: (A)

Establishing a secure session relies on delivering a session key securely using asymmetric cryptography. In the SSL/TLS handshake, the server presents its public key, and the client uses it to securely exchange or establish the material that becomes the session key. Once both sides share the session key, they switch to a fast symmetric cipher for the rest of the communication. DES and AES are symmetric algorithms themselves, not protocols that perform key exchange. RSA is a public-key algorithm that can be used during the handshake, but it’s not the protocol; SSL (and its modern successor TLS) is the protocol that defines the handshake and the delivery of the session key. So the protocol that uses an asymmetric key pair to deliver the shared session key is Secure Sockets Layer.

Establishing a secure session relies on delivering a session key securely using asymmetric cryptography. In the SSL/TLS handshake, the server presents its public key, and the client uses it to securely exchange or establish the material that becomes the session key. Once both sides share the session key, they switch to a fast symmetric cipher for the rest of the communication. DES and AES are symmetric algorithms themselves, not protocols that perform key exchange. RSA is a public-key algorithm that can be used during the handshake, but it’s not the protocol; SSL (and its modern successor TLS) is the protocol that defines the handshake and the delivery of the session key. So the protocol that uses an asymmetric key pair to deliver the shared session key is Secure Sockets Layer.