Certificate authority: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:UnderConstruction.png]] | [[Image:UnderConstruction.png]] | ||
'''Certificate Authority''' is a trusted third party company who issues digital certificates and public-private keys. 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 legit. Only after the proper verification, the CA can issue a certificate claiming that the organization or the individual is the one who he claims to be. Having a digital certificate on a website proves the owners 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 who 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 legit. Only after the proper verification, the CA can issue a certificate claiming that the organization or the individual is the one who he claims to be. Having a digital certificate on a website proves the owners identity hence developing a trustworthy environment in business.<ref>[http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/certification_authority.html WeboPedia]</ref> | ||
A certificate includes all the information about the owner including his public key, the expiration date of the certificate.<ref>[http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/certificate-authority SearchSecurity]</ref> | A certificate includes all the information about the owner including his public key, the expiration date of the certificate.<ref>[http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/certificate-authority SearchSecurity]</ref> | ||
Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
==Public Key Infrastructure== | ==Public Key Infrastructure== | ||
A certificate authority is does not issue certificates | A certificate authority is does not issue certificates alone. Its a part of Public Key Infrastructure ([[PKI]]). Basically a PKI issues and manages security certificates, credential verification, and public key encryption assignments. A CA verifies the credentials of the requester through a registration authority ([[RA]]) and as a part of PKI process, a public key is assigned for encryption. As a last step, an [[SSL Certificate]] is issued encrypted with a digital signature to attest the identity of the requester.<ref>[http://www.entrust.com/certification-authority.htm Entrust]</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} |