Final answer:
Asymmetric Encryption is the method where public and private keys are used such that the public key encrypts messages and only the corresponding private key can decrypt them. RSA is a common algorithm for asymmetric encryption. This system ensures secure communication by making it extremely difficult to deduce the private key from the public key.
Step-by-step explanation:
The encryption method where public and private keys are mathematically related in a way that allows the public key to be used for encryption and the corresponding private key for decryption is known as Asymmetric Encryption. In this system, anyone can use the public key to encrypt a message, but only the holder of the paired private key can decrypt it, ensuring confidentiality. This is the foundation for many security protocols on the internet, including the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and its successor, Transport Layer Security (TLS).
One common algorithm used for asymmetric encryption is RSA (named after its inventors Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman). RSA relies on the mathematical challenge of factoring large numbers to ensure security. The public and private keys are generated together using large prime numbers in a process that ensures they are interconnected and, yet, it's computationally unfeasible to deduce the private key from the public key.