That’s why several organizations choose Public Key Infrastructure as the best option to protect sensitive data and secure electronic transactions while safeguarding digital identification. Understanding that information is an essential business asset — so it is a necessity to protect and encrypt data. So what is Public Key Infrastructure and why is it important? Let’s take a closer look at this comprehensive guide on Public Key Infrastructure in cybersecurity.
What is PKI?
Public Key Infrastructure, or PKI for short, is a cybersecurity system with a mix of different processes, technologies, and policies that allow an organization to encrypt and sign data. It uses the Certification Authority (CA) and Registration Authority (RA) to make up a framework of encryption, helping link a public key with a device or user who owns it. All in all, this helps to protect and authenticate users and devices, and ensure that digital communications are secure. A PKI is essential to build a trusted and secure business environment, being able to verify and exchange data between several servers and users.
Why is PKI important?
PKI is a part of Cryptography. Just using a password in today’s digital society is no longer enough. So, PKI is important because the system significantly increases a network’s security and provides a foundation for solid and protected communications. As the number of machines continues to rise, along with various new types of machines and digital solutions entering the market, it’s essential that information is trusted and protected against attacks of any form. Furthermore, as more critical infrastructure, businesses and organizations undergo digital transformation and adopt digital tools, PKI becomes crucial for high-security situations. It is a core component of data confidentiality, information integrity, authentication, and data access control.
How does Public Key Infrastructure work?
The most important concepts to grasp and learn how PKI works are listed below.
- Digital Certificates. At its core, PKI functions on digital certificates. These digital certificates are a form of digital identification for users, websites, and organizations. Many compare it to a driver's license or a passport. Communication between secure points is available through PKIs because the identity of the parties can be verified by the certificates. Additionally, certificates are tamper-resistant, can be traced back to a machine, and have an expiration date. To create a digital certificate, you can do so yourself for internal communications. For external or larger-scale commercial use, PKI certificates are created through a trusted third-party user — a Certificate Authority.
- Certificate Authority. A Certificate Authority (CA) is used to authenticate digital identities. These can be users, individuals, computer systems, or servers. The use of a CA prevents false identities from accessing certain data or systems. Devices trust a digital certificate based on the authority of the issuing CA. A CA signs a digital certificate with its own public key and stores it for reference.
- Registration Authority. The CA then authorizes a Registration Authority (RA) to provide digital certificates to users. The RA verifies the identities of those requesting digital certificates. A CA can be its own RA or hire a third-party RA.
What is an example or common use of Public Key Infrastructure?
A great example of where Public Key Infrastructure is used is in website page encryption. For example, in the URL of your web browser, you will see a padlock. This shows that a PKI is used. Website owners will usually obtain a digital certificate from a trusted CA, and the owner of the website will have to prove that they are the actual owner. Once verified, the website owner can purchase an SSL (secure socket layer) trust digital certificate to install on the web browser. This indicates that users can navigate and make transactions (fill out forms/data) in a secure way and lets the browser know that the website is legitimate. Besides websites, PKI can also be commonly used in the following:
- Securing emails
- Digitally signing software
- Digitally signing applications
- Encrypting files
- Decrypting files
- Smart card authentication
What type of encryption does Public Key Infrastructure use?
Public Key Infrastructure uses asymmetric and symmetric encryption in combination. These are cryptography algorithms. Symmetrical encryption is when a message that gets typed in plain text goes through mathematical permutations to become encrypted. It protects a single private key that is generated upon the initial exchange and the key must be passed to encrypt and decrypt the information. Asymmetric encryption, also known as public key cryptography, is different as it uses two cryptographic keys — a public and a private one. The public key encrypts and the private key decrypts. Learn more about encryption keys.
Are there any other uses for Public Key Infrastructure?
As previously mentioned, PKIs can be used to protect websites. But they also go further, a PKI can be used to:
- Check and verify the digital identity of websites, services, email customers, and software.
- Encrypt and decrypt data.
- Secure online data, for example, form submissions and online sales transactions.
- Verify and secure digital signatures on e-documents, e-mails, and software.
- Provide a recovery key for an encrypted hard drive.
- Secure access to internet of things (IoT) devices.
PKI makes it possible to protect, secure, and authenticate data — essential for any organization’s cybersecurity strategy.
Does a PKI infrastructure guarantee secure authentication?
As we mentioned before, cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in their attacks. So, nothing is ever a solid guarantee. Breaches in security do happen, but having Public Key Infrastructure makes it harder for cybercriminals to access the data they want. It’s especially important to continue to bolster your cybersecurity defenses and strategy to stay secure. You can learn about other cybersecurity measures that can work in tandem with PKI here.
What are the limits of Public Key Infrastructure?
PKI currently relies on the integrity of CAs and RAs that can function better. But the key limit of PKIs can be the management of it. Having a PKI in place doesn’t guarantee anything, many times, companies fail to deploy or manage it properly. Some examples include using cryptographic keys that are too short, using self-issued secret keys and certificates, incorrect storage, etc. Furthermore, most organizations lack the proper resources and budget to support PKI or do not assign clear ownership of it. This mismanagement is what poses a significant risk to an organization and increases the chances of a successful breach.
Other criticisms of PKIs found include:
- The lack of multi-factor authentication on top frameworks.
- It’s not user-friendly and complicated to use.
- Its inability to adapt to changing advancements.
Learn more about Public Key Infrastructure with Sangfor
Due to the amount of information surrounding PKIs, they can be confusing for many. The main takeaway is that PKIs are an essential part of any organization’s cyber security measures as they are able to encrypt, decrypt, authenticate, verify and secure data and information flow. If you are interested in learning more about PKIs and cyber security, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team.
With extensive experience with cyber security and IT infrastructure solutions, Sangfor offers a wide range of products and solutions to help your organization stay protected at all times, including PKI support. Click here to learn more about our service offerings.
