Netscape Certificate Management System 6.1, Administrator'S Manual

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Appendix J
Introduction to Public-Key
Cryptography
Public-key cryptography and related standards and techniques underlie security
features of many Netscape products, including signed and encrypted email, form
signing, object signing, single sign-on, and the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.
This document introduces the basic concepts of public-key cryptography.
• Internet Security Issues
• Encryption and Decryption
• Digital Signatures
• Certificates and Authentication
• Managing Certificates
For more information on these topics and other aspects of cryptography, see
Security Resources at the following URL:
http://developer.netscape.com/docs/manuals/security/secrs/index.
htm
For an overview of SSL, see Appendix K, “Introduction to SSL.”
Internet Security Issues
All communication over the Internet uses the Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). TCP/IP allows information to be sent from
one computer to another through a variety of intermediate computers and separate
networks before it reaches its destination.