Cover art for The Asymmetric Stomp

WPA3-KCIA Radio · Single

The Asymmetric Stomp

Jarrett Heintz · 3:36

  • Cryptography
  • Everything, A to Z
  • Crypto Corner
Play on WPA3-KCIA Radio

Lyrics

  1. It’s not Bob and Alice this time.
  2. It’s Jeff and Sallie.
  3. And before they trade a single word,
  4. They raise their voices to the rules of asymmetric encryption.
  5. Rule One: A public key is public, you share it wide and free.
  6. Rule Two: A private key is private, you guard it secretly.
  7. Rule Three: Within a pair, whatever key will lock,
  8. The other one unlocks — that’s the way the system talks.
  9. Jeff and Sallie: no symmetric today,
  10. Two keys each, that’s how the game is played.
  11. Keys in a pair will always agree,
  12. One locks it down, the other sets it free!
  13. Jeff takes Sallie’s public key, hides his words inside,
  14. Only Sallie’s private key can open what’s applied.
  15. Confidential message, math keeps it tight,
  16. Only she’s got the sight, only she’s in sight.
  17. Jeff and Sallie: no symmetric today,
  18. Two keys each, that’s how the game is played.
  19. Keys in a pair will always agree,
  20. One locks it down, the other sets it free!
  21. Now Sallie signs a letter, her private key’s the pen,
  22. Jeff checks with her public, it proves it came from her hand.
  23. No one can deny it, the numbers make it clear,
  24. Authenticity and integrity are here.
  25. Jeff and Sallie: no symmetric today,
  26. Two keys each, that’s how the game is played.
  27. Keys in a pair will always agree,
  28. One locks it down, the other sets it free!
  29. If they try both—sign and encrypt—
  30. The system still works, but the process is thick.
  31. So they share a session key, quick and neat,
  32. Symmetric encryption makes the speed complete.
  33. Jeff and Sallie: no symmetric today,
  34. Two keys each, that’s how the game is played.
  35. Keys in a pair will always agree,
  36. One locks it down, the other sets it free!
  37. Jeff and Sallie: no symmetric today,
  38. Two keys each, that’s how the game is played.
  39. Keys in a pair will always agree,
  40. One locks it down, the other sets it free!
  41. Three rules, always.
  42. Public is public.
  43. Private is private.
  44. Whatever locks, the other unlocks.
  45. And the crowd sings on…
  46. But for speed…hand it off to symmetric.