Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)

I am an improved asymmetric method offering faster processing, smaller key sizes, and stronger security per bit compared to traditional prime-based encryption.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)

Exam Tip: When asked “faster, smaller, secure key system” → ECC.

I am used for key exchange based on elliptic curves, allowing two parties to generate a shared secret without transmitting it directly.

Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH)

Exam Tip: Key exchange only, not digital signatures.

I am a digital signing algorithm using elliptic curves to verify authenticity of a message.

Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA)

Exam Tip: Remember ECDSA ≠ key exchange; it’s for authentication/signing.

I describe the main benefits of ECC, including smaller key sizes, harder-to-crack curves, and efficiency in processing.

ECC advantages (smaller keys, curve difficulty, factorization resistance)

Exam Tip: Small key = faster; curve harder to generate = secure; efficient = low CPU/memory.

I am a practical example of ECC in use, where private keys are 32 bytes, public keys 64 bytes, operating on a secp256k1 curve, commonly in cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin ECC example

Exam Tip: Look for “cryptocurrency” + “secp256k1 curve” → ECC application.