Certificate Authority (CA)

A Certificate Authority (CA) like eMudhra operates as the trust anchor in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). When paired with a Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) system, it delivers end‑to‑end automation—taking certificates from request through issuance, renewal, and eventual revocation without manual intervention.

1. Automated Certificate Issuance

1. Discovery & Enrollment
   • Auto‑Discovery: CLM agents scan servers, appliances, containers, and cloud resources to detect existing certificates or identify endpoints needing new ones.
   • Profile Selection: Administrators select or define certificate templates that encapsulate policies (key type, size, validity, SANs) for SSL/TLS, code‑signing, or client‑auth certificates.
2. CSR Generation
   • In‑Portal or API‑Driven: CLM can generate CSRs inside the portal—either using software keys or orchestrating key creation within a connected HSM—ensuring private keys never leave secure hardware.
   • Policy Embedding: The CSR is auto‑populated with policy‑defined fields (e.g., approved algorithms, organizational details).
3. Domain/Identity Validation
   • DCV & OV/EV Checks: Based on template, eMudhra’s CA automatically issues domain‑control challenges (DNS, HTTP, TLS‑ALPN) or initiates organization‑validation steps (document upload, phone/email verifications) via the CLM dashboard.
   • Webhook & Polling: The CA notifies CLM of validation status in real time over webhooks or API callbacks.
4. Certificate Issuance & Distribution
   • Signing in HSM: Upon successful validation, the CA’s HSM signs the certificate, chaining back to the appropriate intermediate or root.
   • Bundle Delivery: CLM retrieves the end‑entity, intermediate, and root certificates, then pushes them to target systems via API, agent, or configuration management tools (Ansible, Terraform).
5. Deployment Verification
   • Health Checks: CLM performs automated post‑deployment checks (e.g., openssl s_client, OCSP ping) to verify correct chain presentation and revocation‑status accessibility.
   • Inventory Update: The certificate’s installation state, fingerprint, and deployment timestamp are logged in the CLM inventory.

2. Automated Certificate Renewal

1. Expiry Monitoring
   • Continuous Tracking: CLM tracks every certificate’s expiry date, health status, and revocation state in a unified dashboard.
   • Alert Thresholds: Administrators configure renewal triggers (e.g., 30 days before expiry) that automatically launch renewal workflows.
2. Pre‑Renewal Validation
   • Re‑Validation (if Required): For domains or organizations with changed records, the CA re‑issues DCV or OV challenges via CLM to confirm continued control.
   • Reuse vs. New CSR: CLM policies determine whether to reuse the existing CSR/key or generate a fresh key pair.
3. Seamless Re‑Issuance
   • Zero‑Downtime Deployment: CLM orchestrates “blue‑green” or rolling updates—provisioning the renewed certificate alongside the old one, validating it, and then switching traffic without interruption.
   • Automated Approval Gates: Optional manual or automated approval steps can be inserted for high‑value certificates before final issuance.
4. Audit & Reporting
   • Renewal Logs: Each renewal action is recorded with timestamps, operator (or system) identity, and validation outcomes.
   • Compliance Dashboards: Renewal metrics—success rates, average lead times, outstanding renewals—are visualized for risk management.

3. Automated Certificate Revocation

1. Trigger Conditions
   • Compromise Detection: Integration with security tools (SIEM, IDS) can trigger immediate revocation if a private key compromise or misuse is detected.
   • Policy‑Driven Expiry: Certificates can be set to auto‑revoke at end‑of‑life rather than simply expire.
2. Revocation Process
   • API Call or Portal Action: CLM issues a revoke command via the CA’s REST API or through the CLM UI, specifying the certificate serial number and reason code.
   • HSM‑Backed Signing: The CA’s HSM signs the updated CRL entry or OCSP response, ensuring authenticity.
3. CRL & OCSP Publication
   • Real‑Time Updates: The revoked certificate immediately appears on OCSP responder feeds and in the next CRL publication.
   • Low‑Latency Endpoints: High‑availability OCSP responders guarantee clients receive fresh revocation status without delay.
4. Inventory & Notification
   • Dashboard Update: CLM marks the certificate as “Revoked” in its inventory and archives its metadata for future audits.
   • Alerts & Reports: Stakeholders receive real‑time notifications via email, SMS, or collaboration tools, with automated reports summarizing revocation events.

Unified Benefits

• No Manual Churn: Eliminates error‑prone, manual CSR filing, renewal reminders, and revocation ticketing.
• Continuous Compliance: Policy enforcement and audit logging ensure alignment with regulations (PCI‑DSS, GDPR, HIPAA).
• Resilient Trust: Automated blue‑green deployments and real‑time revocation checks maintain high availability and security.

By embedding eMudhra’s CA within a CLM framework, organizations achieve a self‑driving PKI—one that issues, renews, and revokes certificates on autopilot, while preserving full governance, auditability, and zero‑trust assurances.