This article provides a basic understanding of the public key cryptography as well as the components used in PKI. This article delineates on the crucial role played by the Certificate Authority (CA) to prevent any man in the middle attack (MITM) by self-identifying as well as identifying as well as creating secure keys for the two parties involved in the communication. The X.509 is the most popular standard that is used CA to issue certificates as this standard defines the requirements for a robust public key certificates. The X.509 standard has evolved continuously since its inception, with more fields being added to its data structure while also continuing to use the fields which were present in its previous version, to add more layers of security.
In reading about this topic, I learned that Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) provides a framework of encryption and data communications standards used to secure communications over public networks. At the heart of PKI is a trust built among clients, servers and certificate authorities (CAs) and X. 509 certificates are used in many Internet protocols, including TLS/SSL, which is the basis for HTTPS, the secure protocol for browsing the web. They are also used in offline applications, like electronic signatures.
Public key cryptography relies on a public and private key pair to encrypt and decrypt content. The keys are mathematically related, and content encrypted by using one of the keys can only be decrypted by using the other. The private key is kept secret. The public key is typically embedded in a binary certificate, and the certificate is published to a database that can be reached by all authorized users.
The X.509 public key infrastructure (PKI) standard identifies the requirements for robust public key certificates. A certificate is a signed data structure that binds a public key to a person, computer, or organization. Certificates are issued by certification authorities (CAs). All who are party to secure communications that make use of a public key rely on the CA to adequately verify the identities of the individuals, systems, or entities to which it issues certificates. The level of verification typically depends on the level of security required for the transaction. If the CA can suitably verify the identity of the requester, it signs (encrypts), encodes, and issues the certificate.
Hi Percy,
Thank you for your summary of PKI, especially for pointing out the case of usage, like offline applications and electronic signature. Offline applications require offline root certificate authorities, which acts as a normal certification authorities, but for offline applications, isolated from network access, and often kept in a powered-down state.
The article provides the information of Public Key Infrastructure and gives the example how to use asymmetric-key cryptography combined with certification authority (CA) to gain assurance in the aspect of both confidentiality and authenticity. One key point that I took from this reading is that hash function plays as the significant role to verify the identity of the public key. With the public key certificate from the CA signing the hash by using private key, the sender can verify the identity of receiver by comparing the hash value. Therefore, hash function has ability of irreversible.
The key point that I took from this article is that Public Key Infrastructure addresses and helps safeguarding public key distribution when using asymmetric cryptography algorithm. Public key infrastructure consists of elements, which are Certification Authority, Registration Authority, Certificate Database, Certificate Store, and Key Archival Server, to establish the integrity of the public key. X.509 Public Key Certificate is a digital certificate identifying and verifying that a public key belongs to the user or computer identity contained within the certificate.
Good point, Zeynep. The public key infrastructure, when implemented correctly, can provide unmatched security & protection. One of the major advantages of PKI that allows for this level of security is a concept known as nonrepudiation.
However, a public key infrastructure’s major disadvantage is network overhead. The network overhead involved with the public key infrastructure is considerable when compared to other security solutions. Example: The algorithms in which public and private keys pairs are generated and exchanged can sometimes consume large amounts of network resources.
It is important to remember that a public key infrastructure is made up of software and hardware elements that a trusted third party can use to establish the integrity and ownership of a public key.
The trusted party or certification authority (CA) accomplishes this by issuing signed binary certificates to affirm the identity of the certificate subject and bind that identity to the public key contained in the certificate. The CA signs the certificate by using its private key. The CA acts as the root of trust in a public key infrastructure and provides services that AUTHENTICATE the identity of individuals, computers, and other entities in a network.
After reading through the pages on Public Key Infrastructure and the X.509 Public Key Certificates from the WIndows Dev Center website, I was amused by the increase in security complexity that was needed to address the concern of ensuring the identity of the public key’s sender when trying to send a message between two parties. This is a valid concern as man-in-the-middle attacks have become more prevalent in modern society, giving more than enough reason for organization’s and user’s who want to legitimize their identities to apply for a signed binary certificate issued from a trusted Certification Authority (CA). Ultimately, the process of certificate signing allows both parties to verify the integrity of the of the public key.
Public key certificates, commonly referred to simply as certificates, are used to authenticate on the Internet, Extranet, and intranets and to secure data exchange.The issuer and signer of the certificate is the certificate authority (CA)
Public Key Infrastructure and X.509 Public Key Certificates describe the basic architecture and usage of public key certificate.PKI includes Certification Authorities,Certificate Directory and Key Recovery Server.These components provide a great help for the secure transmission of information.
Hi Han,
I think in the future, some companies may find a way of using certificates for authentication than passwords. They are more secure and make it hard for hackers to break systems whereas passwords if not strengthened or kept secret can be used to breach the system.
Public key infrastructure or PKI is the process that computers go through so communication can remain confidential. In PKI there is a certification authority that is the trusted party and ensures the identify of the party that is bound to the certificate. Without public key infrastructure and certification authorities it would be very difficult to share encrypted messages. This system allows for parties to remain confidential and know the identity of the person who is using a certificate.
It’s interesting in order to encrypt messages a third party such as the certification authority is used to help ensure integrity. This overall puts more emphasis on the security objectives.
You’re right. PKI also involves much more than simply exchanging public and private keys because, the certificate revocation lists must be maintained in order to properly keep track of valid and invalid certificates. In any organization, a certain amount of personnel turnover is almost unavoidable, and security administrators must have a way to stay current with who is not authorized to access the network. If an end user’s employment is terminated in an organization, that employee’s network access is revoked but the CRLs must be stored and maintained somewhere, which means – more network resources are consumed.
By reading the two articles, I learned about what public key cryptography and x.509 are. The public key infrastructure concept can help address the problem that we can decrypt other’s information without the need of sharing our own private key. And an X. 509 certificate is a digital certificate that uses the widely accepted international X. 509 public key infrastructure standard to verify that a public key belongs to the user, computer or service identity contained within the certificate, which can be considered as an authority in the certificate world, that can help us identify which certificate can be trusted.
I think another important part is that the CA has the authority to revoke the certificate if the holder becomes untrusted. This ensures that companies with certificates are legitimate and certificates can be trusted.
Public key cryptography helps ensure the security and integrity of the message that’s being sent between both parties. It accomplishes this through the encryption and decryption of the message. In addition to that, a certification authority is the trusted third party that is used to establish the integrity and ownership of a public key. I find this interesting because using a public key infrastructure puts more emphasis on the security objective of integrity. It is important that throughout all times that integrity is maintained so that the manipulation of data doesn’t occur.
One thing that I learned from this reading was that certificates can contain different types of data. In X.509 it will include information such as the serial number of the certificate, the algorithm used to sign the certificate, the name of the CA, the name and public key entity requesting the certificate, and the CA’s signature. This information can help us ensure the integrity of the information that we have received.
The PKI, Public Key Infrastructure is mainly software and also hardware elements provided by a trusted party called CA (Certificate Authority) to authenticate, manage the ownership of a public key. Like X.509, the certificate contains 10 unique identifiers to identify a person, server, or an enterprise. It contains version, serial number, name, validity period, etc…and can be used to sign an SSL certificate also.
The CA has the authority to revoke the certificate as well.
This article provides a basic understanding of the public key cryptography as well as the components used in PKI. This article delineates on the crucial role played by the Certificate Authority (CA) to prevent any man in the middle attack (MITM) by self-identifying as well as identifying as well as creating secure keys for the two parties involved in the communication. The X.509 is the most popular standard that is used CA to issue certificates as this standard defines the requirements for a robust public key certificates. The X.509 standard has evolved continuously since its inception, with more fields being added to its data structure while also continuing to use the fields which were present in its previous version, to add more layers of security.
In reading about this topic, I learned that Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) provides a framework of encryption and data communications standards used to secure communications over public networks. At the heart of PKI is a trust built among clients, servers and certificate authorities (CAs) and X. 509 certificates are used in many Internet protocols, including TLS/SSL, which is the basis for HTTPS, the secure protocol for browsing the web. They are also used in offline applications, like electronic signatures.
Public key cryptography relies on a public and private key pair to encrypt and decrypt content. The keys are mathematically related, and content encrypted by using one of the keys can only be decrypted by using the other. The private key is kept secret. The public key is typically embedded in a binary certificate, and the certificate is published to a database that can be reached by all authorized users.
The X.509 public key infrastructure (PKI) standard identifies the requirements for robust public key certificates. A certificate is a signed data structure that binds a public key to a person, computer, or organization. Certificates are issued by certification authorities (CAs). All who are party to secure communications that make use of a public key rely on the CA to adequately verify the identities of the individuals, systems, or entities to which it issues certificates. The level of verification typically depends on the level of security required for the transaction. If the CA can suitably verify the identity of the requester, it signs (encrypts), encodes, and issues the certificate.
Hi Percy,
Thank you for your summary of PKI, especially for pointing out the case of usage, like offline applications and electronic signature. Offline applications require offline root certificate authorities, which acts as a normal certification authorities, but for offline applications, isolated from network access, and often kept in a powered-down state.
The article provides the information of Public Key Infrastructure and gives the example how to use asymmetric-key cryptography combined with certification authority (CA) to gain assurance in the aspect of both confidentiality and authenticity. One key point that I took from this reading is that hash function plays as the significant role to verify the identity of the public key. With the public key certificate from the CA signing the hash by using private key, the sender can verify the identity of receiver by comparing the hash value. Therefore, hash function has ability of irreversible.
The key point that I took from this article is that Public Key Infrastructure addresses and helps safeguarding public key distribution when using asymmetric cryptography algorithm. Public key infrastructure consists of elements, which are Certification Authority, Registration Authority, Certificate Database, Certificate Store, and Key Archival Server, to establish the integrity of the public key. X.509 Public Key Certificate is a digital certificate identifying and verifying that a public key belongs to the user or computer identity contained within the certificate.
Good point, Zeynep. The public key infrastructure, when implemented correctly, can provide unmatched security & protection. One of the major advantages of PKI that allows for this level of security is a concept known as nonrepudiation.
However, a public key infrastructure’s major disadvantage is network overhead. The network overhead involved with the public key infrastructure is considerable when compared to other security solutions. Example: The algorithms in which public and private keys pairs are generated and exchanged can sometimes consume large amounts of network resources.
It is important to remember that a public key infrastructure is made up of software and hardware elements that a trusted third party can use to establish the integrity and ownership of a public key.
The trusted party or certification authority (CA) accomplishes this by issuing signed binary certificates to affirm the identity of the certificate subject and bind that identity to the public key contained in the certificate. The CA signs the certificate by using its private key. The CA acts as the root of trust in a public key infrastructure and provides services that AUTHENTICATE the identity of individuals, computers, and other entities in a network.
After reading through the pages on Public Key Infrastructure and the X.509 Public Key Certificates from the WIndows Dev Center website, I was amused by the increase in security complexity that was needed to address the concern of ensuring the identity of the public key’s sender when trying to send a message between two parties. This is a valid concern as man-in-the-middle attacks have become more prevalent in modern society, giving more than enough reason for organization’s and user’s who want to legitimize their identities to apply for a signed binary certificate issued from a trusted Certification Authority (CA). Ultimately, the process of certificate signing allows both parties to verify the integrity of the of the public key.
Public key certificates, commonly referred to simply as certificates, are used to authenticate on the Internet, Extranet, and intranets and to secure data exchange.The issuer and signer of the certificate is the certificate authority (CA)
Public Key Infrastructure and X.509 Public Key Certificates describe the basic architecture and usage of public key certificate.PKI includes Certification Authorities,Certificate Directory and Key Recovery Server.These components provide a great help for the secure transmission of information.
Hi Han,
I think in the future, some companies may find a way of using certificates for authentication than passwords. They are more secure and make it hard for hackers to break systems whereas passwords if not strengthened or kept secret can be used to breach the system.
Public key infrastructure or PKI is the process that computers go through so communication can remain confidential. In PKI there is a certification authority that is the trusted party and ensures the identify of the party that is bound to the certificate. Without public key infrastructure and certification authorities it would be very difficult to share encrypted messages. This system allows for parties to remain confidential and know the identity of the person who is using a certificate.
Hi Chris!
It’s interesting in order to encrypt messages a third party such as the certification authority is used to help ensure integrity. This overall puts more emphasis on the security objectives.
Best,
Natalie Dorely
You’re right. PKI also involves much more than simply exchanging public and private keys because, the certificate revocation lists must be maintained in order to properly keep track of valid and invalid certificates. In any organization, a certain amount of personnel turnover is almost unavoidable, and security administrators must have a way to stay current with who is not authorized to access the network. If an end user’s employment is terminated in an organization, that employee’s network access is revoked but the CRLs must be stored and maintained somewhere, which means – more network resources are consumed.
By reading the two articles, I learned about what public key cryptography and x.509 are. The public key infrastructure concept can help address the problem that we can decrypt other’s information without the need of sharing our own private key. And an X. 509 certificate is a digital certificate that uses the widely accepted international X. 509 public key infrastructure standard to verify that a public key belongs to the user, computer or service identity contained within the certificate, which can be considered as an authority in the certificate world, that can help us identify which certificate can be trusted.
I think another important part is that the CA has the authority to revoke the certificate if the holder becomes untrusted. This ensures that companies with certificates are legitimate and certificates can be trusted.
Public key cryptography helps ensure the security and integrity of the message that’s being sent between both parties. It accomplishes this through the encryption and decryption of the message. In addition to that, a certification authority is the trusted third party that is used to establish the integrity and ownership of a public key. I find this interesting because using a public key infrastructure puts more emphasis on the security objective of integrity. It is important that throughout all times that integrity is maintained so that the manipulation of data doesn’t occur.
One thing that I learned from this reading was that certificates can contain different types of data. In X.509 it will include information such as the serial number of the certificate, the algorithm used to sign the certificate, the name of the CA, the name and public key entity requesting the certificate, and the CA’s signature. This information can help us ensure the integrity of the information that we have received.
The PKI, Public Key Infrastructure is mainly software and also hardware elements provided by a trusted party called CA (Certificate Authority) to authenticate, manage the ownership of a public key. Like X.509, the certificate contains 10 unique identifiers to identify a person, server, or an enterprise. It contains version, serial number, name, validity period, etc…and can be used to sign an SSL certificate also.
The CA has the authority to revoke the certificate as well.