Advanced › Module 2 › Lesson 2
Asymmetric Named
Asymmetric literacy names RSA, ECC, key exchange, and signatures — recognize roles in YOUR $CRYPTO_LAB toy diagrams before any factorization play.
Visual · t28_asymmetric_named
Asymmetric literacy. $CRYPTO_LAB only. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Public and private keys split duties — literacy names what encrypts, what signs, and what must never be pasted to chat.
Asymmetric crypto uses key pairs: RSA and ECC for signatures and key encapsulation, Diffie-Hellman/ECDH for shared secrets, and digital signatures proving origin and integrity. Public keys distribute freely; private keys stay in HSM, KMS, or secure enclaves — not in lab notes or Discord. Cyberlium names asymmetric roles on YOUR $CRYPTO_LAB toy key diagrams and tiny educational RSA examples — never factorization attacks on production TLS keys. Next: Hashes/MACs.
1. Asymmetric primitives (named)
RSA: encrypt/sign with key pairs — use OAEP for encryption, PSS for signatures; avoid PKCS#1 v1.5 for new designs. ECC (P-256, Curve25519): smaller keys, common in modern TLS and mobile. ECDH: ephemeral key exchange forward secrecy when combined with per-session keys.
On $CRYPTO_LAB, sketch public vs private key roles for one toy diagram — no live CA private keys.
Command guide
Try these commands — Asymmetric primitives (named)
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
Optional command
OpenSSL enc — https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man1/openssl-enc.html (symmetric encryption literacy)
NIST AES — https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/fips/197/final CWE-327 — https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/327.html (broken crypto)
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
Command — copy this
sudo apt install openssl
macOS: Built-in
Windows:
Command — copy this
choco install openssl
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
export CRYPTO_LAB=${CRYPTO_LAB:-$HOME/cyberlium-lab/t28-crypto}
openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -pbkdf2 -salt -in "$CRYPTO_LAB/data/demo.txt" -out "$CRYPTO_LAB/data/demo.enc" -pass pass:LabOnlyPassphrase2026
openssl dgst -sha256 "$CRYPTO_LAB/data/demo.enc"
grep -E 'CYBERLIUM|Never' "$CRYPTO_LAB/data/demo.txt"Primary tools to practice this lesson: openssl, grep. Reference sites: OpenSSL enc (https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man1/openssl-enc.html); NIST AES (https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/fips/197/final); CWE-327 (https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/327.html). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Signatures vs encryption
Sign with private key, verify with public key — proves authenticity. Encrypt with public key, decrypt with private key — confidentiality to holder. Hybrid schemes: asymmetric wraps a symmetric session key — standard in TLS and messaging.
Defenders monitor key length, algorithm deprecation (RSA-1024 retired), and certificate lifetimes.
3. Literacy ≠ breaking production RSA
Forbidden: factoring captured production moduli, sharing private keys, running NFS on stranger certs. Allowed: asymmetric card — three primitives, one use case each, $CRYPTO_LAB toy key note.
Ship: asymmetric literacy card for YOUR lab. Next: Hashes/MACs.
4. What you ship: asymmetric literacy card for $CRYPTO_LAB
Three primitives with use cases. $CRYPTO_LAB toy keys only. NO production key breaks. chmod 600.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Date. Asymmetric card. $CRYPTO_LAB named. File t28-m02-l02-asymmetric-named.txt chmod 600.
6. Wrong vs right: prod crypto oracles vs CTF toys
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
Factor production RSA-2048 for 'practice.' Paste private keys in notes.
Right
Write asymmetric literacy card for YOUR $CRYPTO_LAB toy diagrams. Next: Hashes/MACs.
Mission: name asymmetric roles on YOUR lab
1) Contrast signing vs encryption key use. 2) Name ECC advantage over RSA at same security level. 3) Cite $CRYPTO_LAB toy key source. 4) chmod 600.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Hybrid encryption is how real systems scale — asymmetric wraps symmetric.
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Digital signatures primarily:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: Cyberlium refuses RSA factorization attacks on production TLS keys.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Asymmetric literacy on Cyberlium uses:
Multiple choice