Public Key Cryptography

PCIComplianceHub · Last updated 22 September 2026

Cryptography using a pair of keys, one public and one private, so that what one encrypts only the other can decrypt. It is what TLS certificates, digital signatures and secure key exchange are built on. The full entry is under Asymmetric Encryption; this one exists because both names are in common use and PCI DSS's own text uses neither, speaking instead of strong cryptography and of keys.