What is Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)?

Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman developed the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm in 1977. Organizations widely use RSA, a public-key cryptographic algorithm, to enable secure data encryption, digital signatures, and key exchange. Organizations continue to rely on RSA as one of the foundational algorithms of modern public-key cryptography.

RSA uses asymmetric encryption, which means it relies on two mathematically related keys: a public key for encryption or signature verification and a private key for decryption or digital signing. This approach allows users to exchange encrypted information securely without first sharing a secret key.

Organizations commonly use RSA in HTTPS, VPNs, secure email, digital certificates, code signing, and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

How RSA works

RSA generates a pair of cryptographic keys based on the mathematical properties of large prime numbers. The public key is distributed openly, while the private key remains confidential.

In practice, organizations often use RSA to exchange symmetric encryption keys instead of encrypting large amounts of data directly because symmetric encryption handles bulk data more efficiently.

Why RSA matters

RSA has played a central role in securing internet communications for decades. It enables organizations to verify identities, establish trusted connections, and protect sensitive information during transmission.

RSA helps organizations:

• Secure communications over untrusted networks.
• Authenticate users, devices, and services.
• Protect digital certificates and PKI deployments.
• Verify software and document integrity using digital signatures.
• Support secure key exchange.
• Establish trusted encrypted connections.

Although many environments increasingly use newer algorithms, enterprise systems and security protocols continue to support RSA widely.

RSA vs symmetric encryption

RSA and symmetric encryption solve different security challenges.

Modern security protocols often combine RSA with symmetric encryption to balance security and performance.

How Hexnode supports certificate-based security

Hexnode UEM helps organizations deploy and manage digital certificates on supported devices from a centralized console. Administrators can distribute certificates and configure certificate-based authentication for enterprise Wi-Fi, VPN, email, and other managed services, supporting secure authentication across enterprise environments.

Hexnode UEM also supports device compliance monitoring, operating system update management, and security policy enforcement. These capabilities help organizations maintain trusted endpoints that securely participate in PKI deployments that use RSA and other supported public-key cryptographic algorithms.