Public key infrastructure 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 terms with respect to public key infrastructure. Here are some terminologies to get yourself acquainted with:
- 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 Certifying Authority is an entity that issues digital certificates.
- Registration Authority (RA): A Registration Authority is an entity that verifies user requests for digital signatures and recommends the certifying authority to issue it.
- Certificate...
