"Andy Chau" <> wrote in message news:...
> I try to use RSA to implement the following scheme but wasn't sucessful.
>
> When the client has both private and public key, it can just use the public
> key to encrypt the message which is what I don't want to allow.
Using a public key to encrypt a message to the owner of that public key
is exactly what public key ciphers are MEANT to do! (as well as using
the corresponding private key to generate digital signatures on behalf of
the owner of the private key).
You need to clearly understand this and then think through what you really
want to do. It is not good security practice to use encryption in ways it
was not meant to be used .. usually with associated vulernabilities
Actually, the fact that some CA issuers publish the public keys of all subscribers
IMHO is a slight security risk (probably not envisioned when PKI was
architected) as follows:
- since anyone with access to public keys of recipients can easily generate encrypted
messages to any of these recipients, it is possible to send encrypted malicious
mail which can pass through most mail gateways filters.
THUS .. DON'T OPEN ANY ENCRYPTED EMAIL UNLESS YOU ARE EXPLICITLY
EXPECTING IT
Think of it ... encrypted malicious spam .. the next frontier of maluse.
- Michel Gallant
Security Visual MVP
http://pages.istar.ca/~neutron