Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a type of public key cryptography that uses the mathematics of elliptic curves to secure data. It allows for smaller keys compared to traditional methods like RSA, while providing the same level of security. This efficiency makes ECC particularly useful for devices with limited processing power, such as smartphones and IoT devices. ECC relies on the difficulty of solving the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem, which is computationally challenging. As a result, ECC can achieve strong security with shorter key lengths, making it faster and requiring less storage space. This has led to its growing adoption in various security protocols, including SSL/TLS and PGP.