Elements of PKI
PKI is a set of rules and procedures for the creation, management, distribution, storage, and use of digital certificates and public key encryption.
PKI Terminology
Before moving on to discuss the elements of PKI, you should have a basic understanding of the following associated terms:
- Digital certificate: A digital certificate is an electronic document used to prove the ownership of a public key. A digital certificate includes information about the key, the owner of the key, and the digital signature of the issuer of the digital certificate. It is also known as a public key certificate.
- Certifying Authority (CA): A CA is an entity that issues digital certificates.
- Registration Authority (RA): An RA is an entity that verifies user requests for digital signatures and recommends the CA issues them.
- Certificate Revocation List (CRL): A CRL is a list of digital certificates that have been revoked and terminated by the CA before their expiry date...