Last time, we discussed symmetric encryption protocols, which rely on a user-supplied number called "the key" to drive an algorithm that scrambles messages. Since anything encrypted with a given key can only be decrypted with the same key, Alice and Bob can exchange secure messages once they agree on a key. But what if Alice and Bob are strangers who can only communicate over a channel monitored by eavesdroppers like Eve? How do they agree on a secret key in the first place?