ForumIAS LATEST
- SFG FRC 2027 | Program starts from 18th Dec. 2026 | Admissions open for Entrance Test Click Here to know more →
- Prelims Test Series (PTS) for Prelims 2027 starts 11th Oct. 2026 Click Here to know more →
- [Pre-order] Ethics Redbook 3rd Edition: Delivery starts from 10th October onwards Click Here to Read More →
- 21 Sept. | GS Advance Program (GSAP) for UPSC 2027 Mains starts from 11th Oct. Click Here to Read More →
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a technology for authenticating devices and users in the digital world. The basic idea behind PKI is to have one or more trusted parties digitally sign documents certifying that a particular cryptographic key belongs to a particular user or device.
Nowadays most basic authentication involves a private key (also known as a secret key), which only one person should be able to use to decrypt those messages and a public key, which anyone can use to encrypt a message. PKI govern encryption keys through the issuance of digital certificates and their management therefore verifying the owner of the private key.
SSL certificates on websites are one of the most common examples of PKI.
