The public key plays a crucial role in verifying an ElGamal signature. Which statement is TRUE?

Select one:

a$.$ The public key acts as a password only accessible to the owner for signing future messages.

b$.$ The public key is combined with the signature to reconstruct the original message sent by the signer.

c$.$ The public key is used to confirm the signature's authenticity without revealing the message content.

d$.$ Only the public key is needed to verify the signature, making it vulnerable to forgery.