Certificate Authority (Ca)

A certificate authority (CA) is a third-party entity that issues digital certificates. A digital certificate certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate. This allows others to rely on signatures or on assertions made about the private key that corresponds to the certified public key. A CA acts as a trusted third-party for both the subject (owner) of the certificate and for any party relying on the certificate. Depending on its intended use, a certificate may be signed by a CA’s root certificate or intermediate certificate.

CAs are characterized by their security practices and policies, which include ensuring the identity of individuals and organizations, binding together a public key with an identity, maintaining a trusted repository of Certificates, Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs), and other data, appropriately handling cryptographic keys used for signing Certificates and CRLs, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to keys and electronic records related to CAs and electronic transactions relying on them.