Use of asymmetric encryption in an internet e-commerce site, where there is one private key for
the hosting server and the public key is widely distributed to the customers, is MOST likely to
provide comfort to the:

A.
customer over the authenticity of the hosting organization.

B.
hosting organization over the authenticity of the customer.

C.
customer over the confidentiality of messages from the hosting organization.

D.
hosting organization over the confidentiality of messages passed to the customer.

Explanation:

Any false site will not be able to encrypt using the private key of the real site, so the customer
would not be able to decrypt the message using the public key. Many customers have access to
the same public key so the host cannot use this mechanism to ensure the authenticity of the
customer. The customer cannot be assured of the confidentiality of messages from the host as
many people have access to the public key and can decrypt the messages from the host. The host
cannot be assured of the confidentiality of messages sent out, as many people have access to the
public key and can decrypt it.