What is a Digital Certificate?
A digital certificate is a type of electronic card that is used to establish credentials while doing business or transactions on the Internet. It is a means to prove your identity on online services, that the electronic information they receive from you are authentic. It also helps you to prove the right to access any information and prevent people from using phony keys to impersonate other users. Used together with encryption, digital certificates provide a more complete security solution, guaranteeing the identity of all the parties concerned in a transaction.
How does it work?
While sending confidential messages over the Internet, Public key encryption is used which is a complex mathematical formula to make the data unreadable. Two different keys are used, one for encrypting the data and the second for decrypting it. Once the message is encrypted it can be decrypted only by using the recipient’s private key. The sender can also digitally sign the message to prove that the message originated from them.
Why do I need a Digital Certificate?
In this modern world, online transactions regarding business have increased to a great extent. Controlling access rights by a simple password is not enough to maintain privacy and security. Digital certificate authenticates the identity of the service provider and establishes a secure channel for communicating sensitive information. It assures the identity of all the parties involved in the transaction.
- Owner’s name
- The public key
- Serial number of the certificate
- Expiry date of the certificate
- Name of the organization that issued the certificate
- Digital signature of the organization that issued the certificate
Applications of a Digital Certificate
- Private and confidential message encryption and decryption.
- Control access rights of the users on smart cards, Internet sites, Intranets and other digital networks.
- Archival and retrieval of documents of an organization.
- For digital signing of messages in order to maintain integrity, authentication and non-repudiation.
- Proof of document transmission.
- Establish rights and privileges of an organization.
