Certificate Authority(CA) - A Compact Guide
Certificate Authorities (CA) are an integral part of Public Key Infrastructure or PKI and are a vital component of cyber security. They are analogous to driving licensing authorities, but for the digital world, they verify the business identity by validating the website, devices, and individuals before issuing any digital security certificate.
Fundamental Overview of Certificate Authorities (CA)
Certificate Authorities are considered trusted third parties that issue digital security certificates such as code signing certificates, SSL or TLS certificates, etc. They administer public keys and other credentials for data encryption and validate the entities such as websites, email addresses, companies, and others and bind them to cryptographic keys.
The Certificate Authority (CA) validates the identity of the entities requesting a certificate by checking the information supplied by the applicant with the Qualified Information Source (QIS) before issuing the digital certificate.
Role Of Certificate Authorities (CA) in Cyber Security
Certificate Authorities (CA) are an integral part of Public Key Infrastructure or PKI are associated with various crucial roles as per below:
1. Verification and validation of organizations, domain names, and identities.
2. Issuing the required security certificate to the applicant.
3. Establishing a “Chain of Trust”, a hierarchical trust model that consists of Root Certificate Authority, Intermediate Certificate, and Applicant Certificate.
4. Act as “Trust Anchor, " also called root CA in the chain of trust hierarchy.
5. Build strong trust between the interacting entities over the internet.
6. Keep a list of certificate revocations.
Which Digital Security Certificates are offered by the Certificate Authorities (CA)
Certificate authorities issue different types of certificates based on the applicant’s requirements. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key Digital Security certificates offered by CA's :
1. Code Signing Certificate
A Code Signing Certificate is a digital security certificate offered by a trusted CA to authenticate the identity of a software/code publisher. It binds the identity of a business with the public key, which is mathematically related to a private key.
Certificate Authorities(CA) issue different types of code signing certificates as per the requesting entity’s requirements.
Individual Code Signing Certificates, as the name suggests, are suitable for solo developers.
Standard or Organization Validated (OV) Code Signing Certificates will likely suit small to medium-scale software entities for digitally securing their software, EXEs, and applications.
Extended Validated Code Signing Certificates, also known as EV Code Signing Certificates are a perfect match for large software organizations, ensuring the highest level of software security and building trust for their users.
A certificate employs a PKI infrastructure in which the developers sign the code using a private key that they keep private while the end-user uses the public key to verify the developer's identity.
2. SSL/TLS Certificate
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) Certificate is a digital object that allows systems to verify their identity and subsequently establish an encrypted network connection to another system using the SSL and TLS protocol. SSL/TLS certificates act as digital identity cards to secure network communications and establish the identity of websites over the Internet and resources on private networks.
3. Email Signing Certificate
Emails are a critical part of our lives, and having an email digital signature certificate or email signing certificate improves email security. It is a PKI-based S/MIME certificate that allows you to sign and encrypt the contents of an email digitally.
It encrypts and decrypts email messages and attachments using asymmetric encryption keys. The email signing certificate ensures that emails are secure while they are in transit or at rest. The hashing function in an email signature will notify the recipient whether or not it has been altered.
4. Object Signing Certificate
Object Signing Certificates are used to digitally sign objects to verify their integrity and ownership. CA-issued certificates are used to sign a wide range of objects, including those in the Integrated file system. The receiver of the signed object must have access to the corresponding certificate for the object signature to be properly authenticated.
5. User/Client Certificate Signing
User/Client Certificates are used to authenticate the identity of the user or clients that own the certificate. Digital applications primarily use them to validate users using a certificate rather than a username and password combination. CA's have finally started to offer such certificates for users to authenticate themselves and gain quick access to apps easily.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the Certificate Authority (CA) plays a vital role in the world of cyber security, which follows a chain of trust hierarchy mechanisms to ensure website operators and users stay protected from digital vulnerabilities. CA's are also responsible for issuing different digital security certificates that serve various purposes. You may request the Certificate Authority (CA) to get your digital certificate issued per your business requirement.