Which term refers to a security mechanism that uses digital certificates and asymmetric keys to secure transactions?

• A. 3-D
• B. Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)
• C. Embedded System
• D. ECC

Answer: (B)

Secure Electronic Transaction demonstrates a payment security approach that relies on digital certificates and asymmetric keys to protect online transactions. It uses a public key infrastructure to bind identities to public keys, so both the cardholder and the merchant can be authenticated. Digital signatures verify that the messages haven’t been altered, and encryption protects sensitive payment data in transit. This combination—certificates for identity and asymmetric cryptography for signing and securing data—embodies how SET secures transactions.

Other options don’t fit this combo as precisely. 3-D Secure focuses on authenticating the cardholder during online payments but isn’t defined by a PKI-based mechanism using digital certificates to secure the transaction itself. An embedded system refers to a hardware device with a dedicated function, not a security protocol for transactions. ECC is a cryptographic algorithm family used within PKI, but it’s not a complete transaction-security mechanism by itself.