Derek Shinaberry wrote:
Can someone help me understand why you must have the server's private
key in order to be able to decrypt the session between the client and
the server? It seems to me that if the server and client can conduct
the session without the client ever knowing the server's private key,
then a capture of the session on the client's side ought to be able
to decrypt the session using just what is in the SSL handshake
exchange. What don't I understand about the process that precludes
this behavior?
You might want to read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_key_cryptography