PKI Knowledge Base
Your comprehensive guide to Public Key Infrastructure, digital certificates, and cryptography terminology.
PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)
What is it?
A framework managing digital keys and certificates to secure data and verify identities in secure communications.
How is it used?
Used for securing transactions, encrypting data, and verifying user identities in digital environments.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust provides automated PKI management with tools for certificate issuance and lifecycle automation.
Digital Certificate
What is it?
A digital file linking a public key to an identity, ensuring authenticity in secure communications.
How is it used?
Used to verify server, user, or device identities in encrypted communications and data exchanges.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust offers automated certificate issuance and lifecycle management for security compliance.
Public Key
What is it?
A cryptographic key used for encrypting data or verifying digital signatures, paired with a private key.
How is it used?
Used to encrypt sensitive data and validate signatures in PKI frameworks for secure transactions.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust provides secure public key management and automated key lifecycle tools.
Private Key
What is it?
A confidential cryptographic key used to decrypt data or create digital signatures for secure operations.
How is it used?
Used to decrypt information encrypted with a public key or sign data for authentication purposes.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust secures private keys using encryption standards and secure key storage solutions.
Certificate Authority (CA)
What is it?
A trusted entity that issues and manages digital certificates for verifying identities in secure communications.
How is it used?
Used for validating identities and ensuring trust within a PKI by issuing digital certificates.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust automates CA management with lifecycle tools and compliance monitoring.
Root Certificate
What is it?
A top-level certificate that establishes trust in a PKI hierarchy and signs other certificates.
How is it used?
Used as the foundation of trust to validate certificates issued within a PKI structure.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust simplifies root certificate management with secure storage and monitoring tools.
Intermediate Certificate
What is it?
A certificate issued by a root CA to sign other certificates and extend trust within a PKI.
How is it used?
Used for extending trust from the root certificate to additional end-entity certificates.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust automates intermediate certificate issuance and lifecycle tracking.
Certificate Revocation List (CRL)
What is it?
A list of revoked certificates that should no longer be trusted within a PKI system.
How is it used?
Used for identifying invalid certificates to prevent security breaches.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust automates CRL generation and distribution for secure validation.
Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
What is it?
A protocol for real-time validation of a certificate's revocation status without downloading full CRLs.
How is it used?
Used for real-time validation of certificate status in secure web transactions.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust supports OCSP for continuous monitoring of certificate status.
Key Pair
What is it?
A set of cryptographic keys (public and private) used together for encryption, decryption, and digital signatures.
How is it used?
Used for asymmetric encryption where data encrypted with one key is decrypted with the other.
How can Evertrust help?
Evertrust provides secure key pair generation, storage, and lifecycle management.