What is a digital certificate?
A digital certificate is a digital document that proves the authenticity of a public key used to encrypt an online asset, i.e., an email communication, document, website, or software application.
Digital certificates, also known as identity certificates and public key certificates, are electronic passwords that utilize public key infrastructure (PKI) and enable individuals and businesses to securely share data over the Internet.
Digital certificates use cryptography and public keys to verify the identity of a site, computer, or individual, ensuring that only authorized devices connect to an organization's network. People can also use them to verify the effectiveness of a website to an Internet browser. A website, organization, or individual may seek a digital certificate that must be validated by a publicly trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
Lnternet conversations, data and websites can be secured using digital certificates. The digital certificate has some defects that may be exploitable; However, websites protected by this type of public key authentication are considered more trustworthy than those that are not.
A digital certificate contains the following identifiable information:
1.username,
2.Department or company to which the user belongs,
3.The Internet Protocol (IP) address or serial number associated with the device,
4.A copy of the public key obtained from the certificate holder,
5.Validity period of certificate,
6.The domain name the certificate is authorized to represent,
7.Digital certificates and digital signatures.
A digital certificate verifies the authenticity of a user or device and allows encrypted communications. A digital signature is a hashing technique that uses a string of numbers to determine authenticity and verify identity. Typically, a document or email is only digitally signed with an encryption key. The signature is hashed, and the recipient uses the same hashing algorithm to decode the message after it is received.
How do digital certificates work?
They start with a root Certificate Authority, which is a trusted organization that issues certificates that prove the sender's identity. Anyone can check the signature with the public key of the certification authority.
Where does the public key come from? The public keys of trusted institutions are integrated with browsers and other Internet software applications; Therefore, they should appear on all current computers.
The certificate contains information about the public key infrastructure (PKI), including a pair of private and public keys. When implemented on a Web server, it may provide visitors to the browser with your public key and a list of symmetric passwords supported by your site. The browser may use this public key to transmit an encrypted message containing a symmetric key that encrypts communication between you and the visitor's browser for the duration of the session.
You can also include a public key in the certificate to verify the software your organization distributes, so that anyone who downloads it from the Web can verify that it hasn't been altered or infected with malware. Since the certification authority signs the certificate, anyone can verify its authenticity.
Certificates have a fixed life cycle, usually one or two years, after which they expire. Some claim that they expire, so owners have to buy additional certificates, but there are different interpretations. When a certificate is revoked, its information is uploaded to a Certificate Revocation List (CRL), and the client software checks it before accepting it. Certification expiration dates prevent CRLS from becoming too long; When a revoked certificate expires, it no longer needs to be included in the CRL.
Types of digital certificates:
1. Code signing certificate
This digital certificate is used to sign downloaded software or data. They are signed by the developer/publisher of the software. They are intended to ensure that the program or file is authentic and comes from a claim made by the publisher. They are especially handy for publishers who distribute their products through third-party websites. Code signing authentication also proves that the downloaded file has not been changed.
2. Customer certificates
A digital ID or client certificate is used to identify a person to another user, a person to a device, or a system to another computer system. Email is a common instance of a sender signing a message electronically and having the signature confirmed by the recipient. Sender and receiver authentication is provided through client certificates. When a user wishes to access a restricted database or enter the gateway of a payment portal, a client certificate can be used as two-factor authentication and they will be prompted to enter their credentials for further verification.
3. Transport Layer security/Secure Socket Layer (TLS/SSL) certificate
On the server, the TLS/SSL certificate is installed. Such certificates are designed to guarantee that all client-server communications are confidential and encrypted. The server can be a Web server, application server, mail server, LDAP server, or other server type that requires authentication to transmit or receive encrypted data. Web addresses protected by TLS/SSL authentication will start with "https://" instead of "http://," where the "s" stands for "secure."
SSL certificates can be subdivided into the following categories:
Single-domain SSL: Single-domain SSL simply provides strong encryption for a single domain or subdomain. It is available at a reasonable price and is suitable for bloggers, communities and single-domain websites. This certificate is valid for both www and non-WWW variants.
Multi-domain SSL: This SSL certificate can be placed on many servers, so multiple domain names and subdomains can be encrypted at low cost. The certificate is able to protect about 250 domain names (depending on the provider).
Wildcard SSL: The wildcard SSL certificate protects the level-1 subdomain of the primary domain name. All subdomains will use the same level of encryption (SHA-2).
Multi-domain wildcard SSL: Multi-domain wildcard certificates are the best way to protect multi-layer wildcard domains or subdomains that require strong encryption.
4. Certificate Authority (CA) certificate
Certificate Authority A certificate is an electronic certificate used to verify the authenticity of the Certificate Authority (CA) that issues it. A certificate authority's certificate includes identification information and its public key. Others can use the CA certificate's public key to check the validity of certificates issued and signed by the CA.
5. User certificate
A user certificate is a virtual credential that authenticates the identity of a user or client. Many programs now offer the ability to identify resource users using certificates instead of passwords and usernames. The Digital Certificate Manager (DCM) automatically associates user certificates issued by your private certificate authority.
6. Object signature certificate
Object signing certificates are used to digitally "sign" items. Signing an item provides a way to verify the integrity and provenance or ownership of an object. You can use this certificate to validate many projects, including most integrated file systems and CMD objects. When you sign an object using the private key of an object signing certificate, the recipient must have a copy of the matching signature verification certificate to verify the object signature.
7. Sign the verification certificate
A signing verification certificate is a copy of an object signing certificate that lacks the private key. The public key of the signature verification certificate is used to verify the digital signature generated by the object signature certificate. Verifying a signature enables you to determine where an object came from and whether it has been modified since it was signed.
Digital certificates can also be classified according to the recipient. These are three different types of certificates:
Category 1: These are sent to private/individual subscribers. These certificates will verify that the user's name (or alias) and email address constitute an explicit subject in the certification authority database.
Category 2: Such certificates will be granted for business and personal use. These proofs will verify that the data in the subscriber application contradicts the information in the well-known consumer database.
Category 3: This certificate will be issued to individuals and companies. Because they are high assurance certificates explicitly created for e-commerce operations, they will only be granted to those who actually appear before a certification body.
9. Public key certificate
A public key certificate can be regarded as an online version of a passport. It is issued by a reputable entity and provides proof of identity for the holder. A trusted authority that provides public key certificates is called a Certificate Authority (CA). A CA can be equated with a licensed professional.
The most significant benefits of digital certificate-based authentication relate to privacy. By encrypting your communications, such as emails, logins, and online banking transactions, digital certificates protect your private information and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Digital certificate systems are also user-friendly, usually run automatically and require minimal activity from the sender or receiver.
The main benefits of digital certificates are:
1. Secure online communication
On the Internet, thousands of e-mails are transmitted every day. For security reasons, attaching a digital certificate to an email and verifying the sender's identity is a common practice for transferring sensitive information between multiple parties.
2. Easily scale businesses of all sizes
Digital certificates will likely continue to provide the same level of encryption for small and large businesses. With systems such as managed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) software, you can maintain certificates centrally with relative ease. Digital certificates are so scalable that people can even use them to secure BYOD devices. You can quickly issue, cancel, and renew certificates for your organization.
3. Strengthen user/customer trust
By encrypting your browser and electronically signing your documents and emails, you can project a good image for your customers. Investing in cybersecurity proves to your customers that you put their security and privacy above all else.
4. Reduce hardware burden
No additional hardware is required compared to other options such as one-time credentials and biometrics. The certificate is saved locally on the user's computer, eliminating the possibility of losing or forgetting the token. Certificates can be transferred to other devices to accommodate users with multiple devices.
5. Increase credibility and legal binding force
In an age when malicious actors can forge emails and websites, digital certificates ensure that your messages reach the intended recipient. SSL certificates encrypt websites, S/MIME encrypts and signs emails, and document signing certificates digitally sign documents. The combination of digital certificates makes your documents legally enforceable.
6. Simplify access management
Most certificate-based authentication systems include a cloud-based management portal that enables administrators to easily issue certificates to new employees, renew them, or revoke them when team members leave the organization. Automatic registration and silent installation solutions that allow interaction with ActiveDirectory can improve the registration and publishing process and make it even simpler by allowing automatic registration or silent installation.
7. Secure e-commerce transactions
Millions of Americans buy online; Therefore, websites, portals and e-tailers' websites must be secure and reliable. A certificate authority's security seal mark or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate allows the encryption of confidential material on an e-commerce website. It gives consumers peace of mind about the security and reliability of online purchases, credit card disclosures and business transactions.
8. Ensure privacy while optimizing costs
When businesses secure communications, digital certificates can protect critical information and prevent unauthorized parties from seeing it. The technology can protect businesses and individuals with large amounts of sensitive data. Digital certificates also cost less than traditional encryption and authentication techniques. Most digital certificates cost less than $100 a year.
If certificates are not maintained properly, two types of hazards usually result: interruption and corruption. As the number of connected devices and individuals within a company grows, standard PKI difficulties arise. As a result, it is difficult to issue, deploy, and revoke certificates for every device and application, and to prevent unauthorized users from requesting certificates. Without effective management, digital certificates can cause the following problems:
Low application and website performance: it takes time to verify digital certificates and to encrypt and decode them. The waiting period may worsen.
Security risks from targeted certificate hacks: Like any other data security measure, digital certificates have the potential to be compromised. If the original digital CA is compromised, a widespread hacking attack is more likely. This allows malicious actors to access the authority's digital certificate library.
The challenge of integrating with the larger digital environment: Digital certificates are not autonomous technologies. They must be properly aligned with processes, knowledge, applications, protocols, and hardware to succeed. It's a tough job.
Vulnerabilities in man-in-the-Middle attacks: MITM (man-in-the-Middle) attacks have been found to intercept SSL/TLS communications to circumvent security mechanisms by generating fake root CA certificates or deploying malicious certificates to gain access to sensitive data. However, in general, using digital certificates to protect websites is considered more secure than not using digital certificates at all.
Organizations need strict certificate lifecycle management policies to ensure ongoing operations and data security. They needed a standardized platform to identify, automate, and manage the growing number of certificates in their environment, regardless of the CA or certificate source being generated.
ZhulinStduio CA's official website: https://ca.zhulinstudio.org.cn