Digital Certificates

A Digital certificate is an electronic credential that bind the identity of the certificate owner to a pair of electronic encryption keys (one public and one private), that can be used to encrypt and sign information digitally. Digital Certificate is also known as a public key certificate or identity certificate. Enterprises can utilize the security applications of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to enable e-commerce and communication over the Internet.

Enterprises have adopted the online channels to reduce the costs and increase their reach to a larger segment of customers. As the volume and value of the digital transactions increase, it is important to build appropriate security mechanisms to ensure the safety and integrity of the transactions.

Digital Certificate provides a wide variety of security features that include:

• Authentication and Identity – The entity with which you are communicating are really who they are
• Access Control – Access to the protected information to the intended entity
• Integrity – The message or transaction is not tampered enroute
• Confidentiality – The message is read and understood only by the sender and intended receiver
• Non Repudiation – The sender cannot deny sending and the receiver cannot deny receiving the message or transaction

Types of Digital Certificates

There are three main types of Digital certificates:-

• Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS)
• Code Signing Certificate
• Client Certificate

All Digital Certificates come from a Certificate Authority and usually have a validity for two years, post which they need to be renewed.