Last Updated on December 28, 2024
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a form of public-key cryptography that is based on the mathematics of elliptic curves. It provides a secure way to perform cryptographic operations such as key exchange, digital signatures, and encryption. ECC is an alternative to Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) encryption and is considered the most secure form of encryption.
Advantages: faster computations and low resource demands, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, including government and military use.
Key Features: Smaller keys to provide equivalent security compared to cryptosystems based on modular exponentiation in Galois fields, such as the RSA cryptosystem and ElGamal cryptosystem.
Applications: Used in various applications, including secure web communications, digital signatures, cryptocurrency, mobile devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Security: Provides strong security with smaller key sizes compared to older methods like RSA, making it ideal for resource-constrained devices.
Mathematical Basis: Elliptic curves are defined by an equation of the form y2 = x3 + ax2 + bx + c, where a, b, and c are constants, and are used to mathematically relate public and private keys.