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Public key infrastructure (PKI)
refers to a comprehensive system required to provide public
key encryption, digital certificates, and digital
signatures. Certificate Authorities (CA) and other
registration authorities verify and authenticate the
validity of each party using a key and any related data
involved in a data transfer. PKIs are designed to solve the
key management problem in public key cryptography, a data
encryption method involving a public key, which is made
available to anyone, and a private key, the "secret" key
made available only to a single owner or a chosen few. By
managing keys and certificates through a PKI, an
organization established and maintains a trustworthy
networking environment.
PKI technology has been
struggling and continues to evolve. Currently there is no
single PKI standard, nor even a single agreed-upon standard
for setting up a PKI infrastructure. However, everyone today
agrees that reliable PKIs are necessary to make electronic
commerce widely accepted. An integration with biometric
authentication may be the path that will lead to increased
spread and acceptance of PKI technology. |
