In a world of data breaches and surging cyberattacks, digital certificates are critical to modern cybersecurity strategies. These security tools authenticate devices, users, and websites and encrypt communication between them.
They are only issued by publicly trusted and rigorously vetted certificate authorities. Digital certificates offer five key benefits:
Authentication
Digital certificates authenticate entities and people in communication by verifying they are who they claim to be. This ensures that only the intended recipient receives and can access contacts, making it difficult for malicious actors to tamper with data or spread malware.
They also confirm that the information users share online is genuine, allowing businesses to build trust with their customers. This can boost business revenue and make them more credible in the eyes of consumers.
They are often purchased from trusted certificate authorities or CAs, but individuals or small businesses can produce their certificates as well (private digital certificates). This option is helpful for situations requiring more security than public certificates. However, it is essential to note that bad actors can hack and use even a trusted CA.
A hacked CA can allow cybercriminals to gain access to the repository of certificates it hosts and use these to spoof web pages or perform man-in-the-middle attacks. This is why modern cybersecurity strategies call for a layered approach, with several solutions working together to protect against tampering.
Encryption
Digital certificates provide security by encrypting data transmitted between a web server, browser, or app and a user’s device. This data is only decrypted by the intended recipient. This allows businesses to keep internal and external communications confidential and prevents unauthorized parties from accessing sensitive information.
While the term “digital certificate” might bring images of SSL/TLS certificates to mind, it can apply to various applications and types of digital certificates. These include TLS/SSL certificates for securing websites, Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) certificates for encrypted email communication, and document-signing certificates for electronic signatures.
A digital certificate is a form of confirmation, much like a driver’s license or passport. A trusted third party issues it, the certificate authority (CA), confirming that the website, user, or device is who they claim to be. This is a crucial step in protecting information because malicious actors constantly seek ways to steal digital certificates and private keys from users.
Reliability
Digital certificates are vital in solving the security problem of communicating over an open public network, where data is susceptible to theft and alteration by malicious actors.
In encrypting communications between a website server and the website browser, they ensure that only the intended recipients see the information transmitted. They also prevent tampering with data by guaranteeing that the message or transaction was not altered en route.
Computer hardware manufacturers embed digital certificates into cable modems to safeguard broadband service against device cloning, and digital payment companies use them to authenticate their ATMs, point-of-sale equipment, and kiosks.
Websites use them (particularly SSL certificates) to secure browser-server communications and project public trust by verifying that they are genuine, trusted entities. And software developers use them to confirm the authenticity of their code and documents by digitally signing them while allowing the recipient to verify the signature.
Another type of digital certificate, a client or user certificate, identifies individual users to other computers or systems and provides access to protected databases. They’re helpful in an era where cyberattacks are common, and the malicious parties behind them can forge emails, websites, or documents.
Trust
Digital certificates are essential to cybersecurity because they help establish trust by ensuring that internal and external communications are encrypted. They also provide authentication and identity verification, which reduces the likelihood of cyberattacks by malicious parties.
These certificates are issued by trusted third parties, Certificate Authorities (CA). They include public and private keys, which can be matched to verify identity. The public key can then encrypt data only decrypted with the private key. The private key remains in the possession of the certificate holder.
The digital certificates available include TLS/SSL certificates to encrypt websites, code-signing certificates to confirm the authenticity of software downloaded over the internet, and document-signing certificates that enable electronic signatures. They are scalable, which means they can be issued, revoked, and renewed in seconds and can be used to secure a range of user devices. This provides a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes.
Scalability
Digital certificates ensure that the persons and entities we communicate with online are who they say they are. They also provide that the data we exchange with other parties is not tampered with accidentally or intentionally en route. This ensures that only the intended recipients can receive and read our communications.
However, like any other security measure, digital certificates can be hacked. One of the most logical ways for a widespread hack to occur is for the issuing digital certificate authority to be compromised. This would give bad actors an on-ramp into penetrating the certificate authority’s repository of certificates.
This is why enterprises must implement a centralized digital certificate management system. This makes it easier to centralize the issuance, provisioning, renewal, and revocation of certificates for all devices. This also helps reduce risks, mitigate data loss, and avoid costly cyber-breach incidents.
