PKIinfrastruktuurit

PKIinfrastruktuurit, or Public Key Infrastructure, is a system of hardware, software, policies, processes, and people that is used to manage digital certificates and public-key encryption. The primary purpose of a PKI is to enable secure electronic transfer of information for activities like e-commerce, internet banking, and confidential email. It provides a trusted framework for verifying the identity of users and devices.

At the core of a PKI is the Certificate Authority (CA), a trusted third party responsible for issuing and managing digital certificates. These certificates bind a public key to an identity, such as an individual, an organization, or a device. When a certificate is issued, it is digitally signed by the CA, assuring recipients that the public key indeed belongs to the claimed entity.

Other key components include Registration Authorities (RAs), which verify the identity of entities requesting certificates before the CA issues them, and the Certificate Revocation List (CRL) or Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) services, which allow users to check if a certificate has been revoked before its expiration date. The PKIinfrastruktuurit are essential for establishing trust in online interactions, securing communications, and protecting sensitive data through encryption. They underpin many security protocols, including TLS/SSL used for secure web browsing.