2.7. Certificates

Certificates offer a way of providing assurance about a public key. In general, they consist of the following components:

  • The public key

  • Some associated information such as an identity or access authorization

  • A date of issuance and expiration

  • An authenticating digital signature by a “certification authority” over this information

Anyone knowing and trusting the public key of this “authority” and having the certificate can have confidence that the public key inside the certificate is associated with the identity or should have the access indicated. See Figure 2-6.

Figure 2-6. Certificate

This verification can be continued through ...

Get Secure XML: The New Syntax for Signatures and Encryption now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial