Assignment 3: Secure Encrypted Communications

Due Week 9 and worth 80 points

Transmitting personal and business data and information over secure communication channels is critical. In some cases it is required, especially when personally identifiable information is being transmitted. Credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, online purchases, business orders, and so on must all be transmitted over secure communication channels. The Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) provides the most widely used secure communications technology. PKI relies on encryption.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1.       Compare and contrast symmetric encryption to asymmetric encryption.

2.       PKI uses digital certificates to encrypt / decrypt data. Analyze the process of encrypting and decrypting data using a digital certificate. 

3.       Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using digital certificates.

4.       Evaluate the challenges related to public and private key management when using PKI.

5.       Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

·         Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

·         Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.