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Glossary · Security

PKI

Public Key Infrastructure

In plain language

The system of certificate issuers, certificates and rules that lets computers trust each other's identities.

The metaphor

Like the passport system: governments issue IDs and everyone else trusts their stamp.

Going deeper

How it works

  • Trusted companies called certificate authorities issue certificates.
  • Certificates prove a website or device is who it says.
  • Your browser carries a list of authorities it trusts.
  • Expired or cancelled certificates stop working.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A company's website certificate expired over a long weekend. Browsers showed a warning to every visitor until someone renewed it.

In practice
  • Your browser trusts a bank's website because of a certificate.
  • A company issues certificates to its laptops for Wi-Fi.
  • A renewal reminder arrives for a website certificate.

A question owners ask

What should I watch for?

Expiry dates. Ask your IT provider to track them so a certificate never lapses unnoticed.

Related terms
AAAAuthentication, Authorization, and AccountingAccount takeoverACLAccess Control ListAdmin accountAESAdvanced Encryption StandardAES-256Advanced Encryption Standards 256-bitAISAutomated Indicator SharingAPTAdvanced Persistent Threat

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