When is the private key of a public/private key pair used in bidirectional encrypted communications? (Select the best answer.)

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The question asks when the private key of a public/private key pair is used in bidirectional encrypted communications.
Option A: 'A. when both encrypting and decrypting the body of a message' is inaccurate because while the recipient uses their private key to decrypt, encryption is typically done with the recipient's public key, not the sender's private key, so both parties do not use the private key for both steps.
Option B: 'B. when encrypting the body of a message' is incorrect in standard public-key encryption for confidentiality, since the encryption of the message body is normally performed with the recipient's public key so that only their private key can decrypt it.
Option C: 'C. when decrypting the body of a message' is correct because the private key is used to decrypt data that was encrypted with the corresponding public key, which is the core mechanism enabling bidirectional secure communication: the sender encrypts with the recipient's public key, and the recipient decrypts with their private key. This correctly identifies the decryption step where the private key is required.
Option D: 'D. when hashing the body of a message' is incorrect because hashing is a one-way function that does not involve the private key; digital signatures involve private key usage, but hashing itself does not require decrypting or encrypting and is not how confidentiality is achieved.
In summary, the private key's role in this context is to decrypt data that was encrypted with the corresponding public key, which aligns with option C.

CS 410.01-Spring 2025 ST: Cyber Security Quiz 2

When is the private key of a public/private key pair used in bidirectional encrypted communications? (Select the best answer.)

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