Certificate Authority: What Role Does It Play In PKI Solution?
You must have surely heard the term 'PKI' very often, but you're probably not sure what it stands for. Do not panic, as you are not the only person who is not yet aware of it. PKI stands for the Public Key Infrastructure. The idea of a Public Key Infrastructure is discussed at length in the IT sector.
PKI is an infrastructure that manages digital certificates and their associated keys for using them as an authentication process. The problem that PKI addresses is the difficulty in proving that a public key is genuinely owned by the person or entity, who claims it. As a consequence, digital certificates and PKI are used. An authorized certificate authority verifies the identity of the organization issuing the key pair. Anyone can then verify the identity of the key holder by using the accompanying digital certificate that is issued.
What is Certificate Authority?
The only organization that can issue trusted digital certificates is a trusted Certificate Authority. It is significant because, although PKI is responsible for the encryption aspect of these certificates, verification is still required to determine who owns particular keys. Without a trusted CA, anyone can create their own keys, authentication is rendered useless, and chaos continues.
Why is Certificate Authority Important?
Moving on further, let us talk about why certificate authority is important. When CAs are removed from the PKI, you're left with a small group of the unverified set of digital certificates, many of which are valid, but some of them can be misused as their ownership can't be proved. To put it differently, someone may simply misrepresent owner of a key and then steal or modify encrypted data. For saving you from such a mess, the Certificate Authorities have been established for helping you with authentication.
Authentication means demonstrating ownership of a certificate and, by default, it's key. The CA is regarded for a purpose, as they have spent considerably in their own infrastructures and have well-established procedures that can authenticate identities and issue digital certificates. They remain adhered to browser community rules and maintain best business practices focused on guaranteeing maximum web security.
Points To Remember When Hiring A Certificate Authority
The significance of selecting the ideal certificate authority for your websites is often neglected. Frequently, website owners seek out cheap options. However, the uncalled cyber-attacks can cost you much more than expected. Hence, it is always important to choose the appropriate CA. Here are some points that you need to always consider before moving a step ahead.
- Check the security measures taken by the CA to safeguard cryptographic keys
- Popularity and reputation of the CA
- Thoroughly completed validation process
- Evaluate the recent history
All the points mentioned above are significant because it makes the entire process safer and more trustworthy.
If you plan to integrate PKI solutions into your business, then Keyfactor can certainly help you. The experts here help you with more information about PKI and its components.
