'''Certificate Authority''' is a trusted third party company that issues digital certificates and public-private keys as a part of chosen Public Key Infrastructure ([[PKI]]). In order to issue these certificates, a CA first consults with a registration authority ([[RA]]) such as credit card company to check whether the requester's information is legitimate. Only after the proper verification can the CA issue a certificate claiming that the organization or the individual is the one it claims to be. Having a digital certificate on a website proves the owner's identity, hence developing a trustworthy environment in business.<ref>[http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/certification_authority.html WeboPedia]</ref> | '''Certificate Authority''' is a trusted third party company that issues digital certificates and public-private keys as a part of chosen Public Key Infrastructure ([[PKI]]). In order to issue these certificates, a CA first consults with a registration authority ([[RA]]) such as credit card company to check whether the requester's information is legitimate. Only after the proper verification can the CA issue a certificate claiming that the organization or the individual is the one it claims to be. Having a digital certificate on a website proves the owner's identity, hence developing a trustworthy environment in business.<ref>[http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/certification_authority.html WeboPedia]</ref> |