What is a digital certificate and why is it used?

Digital certificates are electronic credentials that bind the identity of the certificate owner to a pair of electronic encryption keys, (one public and one private), that can be used to encrypt and sign information digitally.

What are digital certificates and how do they work?

A digital certificate is an electronic document issued by a Certificate Authority (CA). It contains the public key for a digital signature and specifies the identity associated with the key, such as the name of an organization. The certificate is used to confirm that the public key belongs to the specific organization.

What are security certificates used for?

A security certificate is a small data file used as an Internet security technique through which the identity, authenticity and reliability of a website or Web application is established.

What do digital certificates have?

Digital certificates contain a copy of a public key from the certificate holder, which needs to be matched to a corresponding private key to verify it is real. A public key certificate is issued by certificate authorities (CAs), which sign certificates to verify the identity of the requesting device or user.

Does everyone have a digital certificate?

The first is available to everyone, while the second is only known by the certificate holder. A digital certificate contains a series of data associated with the user it identifies, such as its name, the expiration date of the certificate, a copy of the public key and the digital signature of the CA.

How do I protect my digital certificate?

Securing Digital Certificates

1. Store private keys on a network separate from general enterprise activity.
2. Store private keys in encrypted containers or encrypted physical devices (such as secure thumb drives) stored in a secure location.
3. Strictly limit access to private keys on a “need to know” basis.