Public-private key encrypting

PGP, Pretty Good Privacy, program developed by Philip Zimmermann which uses public key encryption

PGP enables two people to communicate by e-mail with greatest probability that no one but sender and receiver can read text

Plaintext is actual message, text, data, program, .gif file, ...

Plaintext can be read, run or viewed by anyone

Ciphertext is what plaintext looks like after it is encrypted

Ciphertext is unreadable, unrunnable, unviewable except by person with key to decrypt it

Encryption is taking plaintext and turning it into ciphertext

Decryption is taking ciphertext and turning it into plaintext

Public Key is part of PGP which is used to encrypt text

Give public key to other people so that they can send ciphertext to you which only you can read

Secret Key is part of PGP which is used to decrypt text

Secret key allows you and only you to read ciphertext that was made by your public key