Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

What is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a system that enables secure communication over a network by providing a framework for the creation, distribution, and management of digital certificates. These certificates are used to verify the identity of parties involved in a communication and to establish secure connections between them. At the heart of PKI is the concept of asymmetric encryption, where each party in a communication has a pair of cryptographic keys – a public key and a private key. The public key is shared with others, while the private key is kept secret. When a message is encrypted using a public key, only the corresponding private key can decrypt it, ensuring that the message can only be read by the intended recipient. PKI is widely used in a variety of applications, including secure email communication, online banking, e-commerce transactions, and secure access to corporate networks. It provides a robust framework for protecting sensitive information and ensuring the integrity of data exchanged over a network.