Digital Certificate: A digital certificate is, more or less, an identification card or you can say an electronic card that confirms or certifies the online transaction as well as another authentication on the internet. When we install a certificate, two keys are generated; one is a public key and another one is a private key. The public key is issued by Certification Authority (CA) on e-commerce sites, email, finance related sites or emails whereas Private Key is required to decrypt the data transferred or shared.
We can also refer digital certificate as an electronic passport, as it allows an organization or an individual to exchange information over the internet in a secured form using the public key infrastructure (PKI). This digital certificate is commonly referred to as a public key certificate. These certificates authenticate legality of communication and transaction between server and browser or sender and receiver. These certificates also validate surfing sites or portal.
Purpose of digital certificates
Security is the main purpose of these digital certificates. When we work online and log in our details, make a financial transaction, security is the first thing that comes into our mind. Before we share data, we check for reliability of that website. But how can we be sure that our data is transferred securely? To build trust website owner opt for SSL certificate. To make sure data is transferred securely when the SSL certificate is issued, two keys (Public and private) are issued along with it. The public key is attached along with the electronic message for security purposes. A digital certificate verifies the user, whom she or he is claiming to be and granting the message sent to the receiver along with the public key securely and with a way to encode a reply. The message sent is in encrypted form and once it reaches its destination, the private key is required to decrypt data in readable form. This encryption and decryption of data ensure internet security.
Importance of digital certificate
Digital certificates are quite important; let us discuss them in details one by one:
• Communication Security: Digital certificate is attached along with e-mail or electronic message in order to provide security and authentication. When we communicate via electronic media, it becomes important that the information is shared between the parties it is meant for and cannot be accessed by any other third party. For such a secure communication we need a digital certificate, which ensures reliable communication.
• Online Banking: The internet has indeed made our life easier; instead of going to the bank for every single work, we can simply log in to the bank’s site and check our banking, make transactions, transfer money etc. Customers prefer the digital certificate issued by reputed CAs when we are dealing with the financial transition. These certificates ensure the user or customer a higher level of trust concerning the integrity of data, an additional level of protection and a higher level of security for data being shared or any financial transaction made.
• E-commerce: Most of the people in today’s world shop online due to their hectic lifestyle, but they always look for secure and reliable websites to shop as information provided by the customer is sensitive and can be misused. To create a safe and secure environment for customers to shop, a website owner needs an SSL certificate.
• Prevent Online Threats: To safeguard your data, which you provide at the time of login or when you sign-in, Certification Authority (CA) issues a public key, which monitors the receiver and sender in such a way that your information cannot be stolen by any other third party. The information shared can contain your address, birth date, locality, license etc.
If you need more information regarding Digital Certificate. Give us a call on +1 (888) 606-7330. We will also help you to provide Comodo SSL Certificate for domain and sub-domain to secure your online business website.