Framework for managing digital certificates and public-key encryption to enable secure communications.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is the framework of policies, procedures, hardware, and software for creating, managing, distributing, and revoking digital certificates. PKI enables secure communications by binding public keys to identities through certificates issued by trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs). PKI underpins HTTPS, email encryption, code signing, and authentication. When your browser shows a padlock, PKI verified the website's identity through certificate validation.
Why It Matters
The DSC Perspective:
PKI enables trust in digital communications. Understanding PKI helps troubleshoot certificate issues, implement secure email, and evaluate security architectures. Certificate management is an often-neglected but important security function.