What Is PKI? Explaining Encryption Framework and Cybersecurity

July 24, 2023 By Janne Smith No Comments 6 minutes

With the rapid development of the Internet and communication, communication security became essential – inventing PKI security. And after the spread of the World Wide Web, businesses required a website protection tool, thanks to the growth of cybersecurity issues.

What is PKI

PKI protects messages and files to save them from preying eyes. Whether an individual or an organization, it provides ultimate cyber security to both. Let’s dive into the basics, learn “What is PKI,” the basics of PKI cybersecurity, and find your answer to “How does PKI work.”

Get FastestVPN

What is PKI?

PKI, short for public key infrastructure, is the ultimate solution for internet communication security. Its effectiveness lies in using maths and two cryptographic keys – public and private – to encrypt online information. Together, these keys guarantee secure, authentic, and tamper-proof online communication.

This is a highly secure way to encrypt online transactions, email, and web browsing. It includes software, hardware, and procedures for creating digital certificates to manage public key encryption. Meanwhile, businesses use PKI to keep their internal communication channels confidential and restrict network access.

PKI leverages digital certificates from trustworthy certificate authorities (CAs) and third-party organizations with a solid reputation. These certificates provide essential information about the owner, such as their identity and public key. By doing this, they ensure the authenticity of the public key and confirm the owner’s identity.

What Is the Purpose of PKI Certificate?

While PKI technology is only an umbrella term, it’s a blend of systems allowing PKI certificates to work. A PKI certificate serves the purpose of digital identity security. It enables user identification, code signing, encrypt communication, and data. Referring to that, the significance of PKI drove the Japanese PKI market size to almost 12 billion Japanese yen in 202. To gain a better understanding, let’s delve into the basics.

Overall, here’s what PKI does:

Confirms Device Validity

As aforementioned, PKI technology helps confirm the authentication and validation of sites and device connections. It also aids user-server communication encryption. By leveraging PKI, all parties involved can be assured of legitimacy, and their communication can be encrypted to build trust and confidence.

Improved Security

It efficiently improves network security. This involves following regulations, implementing security measures, and utilizing digital certificates (such as smart cards) to eliminate the use of easily hackable passwords or pins. By fortifying this final variable, network security can be significantly strengthened.

User and Device Authentication

We all forget passwords, and for the longest time, we’ve stored them on sticky notes or, perhaps, at the back of our notebooks. And that only makes passwords the least secure.

As a solution, PKI introduces the concept of PKI certificates. They validate user and device identity, and since their identity is verified, they can authenticate users, devices, and applications.

The Public Key Infrastructure Components

So, “How does PKI work?” It’s formed by 3 key PKI components mentioned below:

Digital Certificates
Certificate Authority
Registration Authority

Digital Certificate

These certificates are electronic identities for websites and organizations, much like a driver’s license does for individuals. With the use of certificates, Public Key Infrastructure allows for secure connections between two machines by verifying the identities of both parties involved.

To get a digital certificate, you can create your certificate or contact a third-party source – a Certificate Authority. The latter is majorly suited for large-scale businesses.

Certificate Authority

Certificate Authority (CA) plays a crucial role in verifying the digital identities of a wide range of users, including individuals, computer systems, and servers. Simply put, CA helps to prevent any instances of fraudulent activity or forgery.

Additionally, the CA is responsible for managing the complete life cycle of digital certificates, ensuring that they remain valid and current. Without the CA, the digital landscape would be far less secure for conducting business.

Registration Authority

Digital certificates can only be obtained after obtaining approval from the Registration Authority (RA), authorized by the Certificate Authority. To ensure maximum security and reliability, all requests, issuances, and revocations made by the CA and the RA are closely monitored and recorded in an encrypted certificate database.

A certificate store is a designated location on a computer that stores all information related to certificate history, such as granted certificates and private encryption keys. Illustrating an example, Google Wallet plays almost the same role.

How Does Public Key Infrastructure Work?

Answering the question of “How does PKI work?” Public Key Infrastructure uses Asymmetric encryption methods to ensure secure and authenticated communication. This method uses public and private keys, which are lengthy bits that encrypt information.

The public key, issued by a trustworthy certificate authority, can be accessed by anyone to verify and authenticate the message’s sender with certainty. In public key infrastructure, there are two components to a cryptographic key pair – the private key and the public key. The recipient of the encrypted communication keeps the private key secret and is used to decode the transmission.

Complex algorithms encrypt and decode these key pairs, with the public key authenticating the sender and the private key ensuring that only the intended receiver can access and read the digital communication.

What Is the Future of PKI?

The average data breach cost is $401 for its 50 to 65 million records, reports IBM. In the early days of public-key technology, the reliability of the most widely used schemes was often questioned due to their simplistic nature. Many worried whether these fundamental mathematical procedures could remain secure over time. Despite these concerns, advancements have since been made to improve the security and reliability of public-key encryption.

The widespread use of Public Key Infrastructure in various settings, including the Web, identification documents, mobile devices, smart appliances, remote-controlled home systems, and the Internet of Things, is not surprising, given its long-term success.

PKI’s blend of solid security, affordable management, and ease of use has been crucial to its triumph. It is expected to skyrocket even further with the proliferation of mobile devices and smart applications. And looking at the effectiveness of the PKI technology, we’re sure this remains the most practical and cost-efficient solution to meet our constantly evolving security requirements.

FAQs - Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

What is an example of a PKI?

A prime example of PKI technology is site SSL certificates. These validate site visitor authenticity and if there’s the presence of an authentic communication channel. This communication channel and the data being received and sent are encrypted.

What is the role of PKI in security?

The role of PKI in security is data encryption. It aids traffic authenticity and security of browsers and servers. Meanwhile, it also helps protect device access to secure internal organizational communications.

How to get a PKI certificate?

Before getting a PKI certificate, you should know which PKI certificate you want. For example, to get an SSL/TLS certificate, you need to contact a trusted PKI certificate authority to issue a PKI certificate.

What is PKI and why is it important?

PKI technology (public critical infrastructure) is an encryption tool for secure internet communication. Its importance derives from its ability to tackle data leak threats for all internet-connected devices. PKI cybersecurity refers to securing information and enabling communication between platforms and IoT devices.

How does PKI work step by step?

After learning about PKI cybersecurity, find answers to “how does PKI work”. Let’s take the example of an average organization authenticating a digital certificate: Step 1: The certificate owner encrypts it with the private key. Step 2: He sends the public key to the organization. Step 3: The organization will decrypt a public key to verify the owner's identity. Step 4: After successful identification, the user can access the account.

Wrapping Up – PKI Cybersecurity

While PKI cybersecurity ensures utmost internet communication encryption, it’s the ultimate solution to the forever worried about communication security concerns. And the leak in your online communications often comes due to the configuration of the IP address and someone sneaking in. And now that you know “What is PKI” and how important it is to stay safe, using FastestVPN to hide your IP address and browse the Internet like never before is advised. But that’s not it; FastestVPN has numerous features that are hard to miss. Get started today!