HTTPS in e-commerce uses which encryption approach?

• A. Public key encryption
• B. Secret key encryption
• C. Private key encryption
• D. Data key encryption

Answer: (A)

HTTPS uses public key encryption to establish a secure channel. When a browser connects to a secure site, TLS uses asymmetric cryptography (such as RSA or ECC-based methods) to authenticate the server and to securely exchange a symmetric session key. That session key then encrypts the actual data exchanged during the session with fast symmetric encryption. So the key idea is that the initial handshake relies on public-key cryptography to set up trust and a shared key, after which efficient symmetric encryption protects the data. The other options miss this sequence: symmetric (secret key) methods are used for the data itself, but the secure setup relies on public-key methods to safely establish the session key.