The Public key infrastructure (PKI) is the set of hardware, software, policies, processes, and procedures required to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates and public-keys. It is the set of technology and processes that make up a framework of encryption to protect and authenticate digital communications. PKI uses cryptographic public keys that are connected to a digital certificate, which authenticates the device or user sending the digital communication.
Importance & Advantages of PKI:
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is important because it significantly increases the security of a network and provides the foundation for securing all internet-connected things. PKI is a core component of data confidentiality, information integrity, authentication, and data access control. Public Key Information allows the choice of trust provider. It is highly scalable. Users maintain their own certificates, and certificate authentication involves exchange of data between client and server only. This means that no third party authentication server needs to be online.
