Certificate Authority (CA)

eMudhra’s Certificate Authority (CA) is architected to meet both today’s cryptographic demands and tomorrow’s quantum‑resistant landscape, ensuring enterprises maintain unbroken digital trust as threats evolve.

1. Built‑In PQC Algorithm Support

• Hybrid Certificate Issuance: eMudhra CA can issue certificates combining classical algorithms (e.g., RSA‑2048, ECDSA‑P256) with emerging NIST‑selected PQC algorithms such as CRYSTALS‑Kyber (for key‑encapsulation) and CRYSTALS‑Dilithium (for digital signatures). This hybrid approach enables clients to negotiate TLS connections that remain secure even if one algorithm is later compromised.
• Standards Compliance Roadmap: Leveraging industry roadmaps (e.g., NIST PQC standards), eMudhra continuously integrates draft PQC suites into its CA software. Early‑adopter customers can opt into PQC profiles via certificate templates, preparing infrastructures for quantum‑safe deployments well before full standardization.

2. Modular Crypto‑Agile Architecture

• Pluggable Crypto Modules: The CA’s cryptographic engine is decoupled from certificate management logic. New algorithms—post‑quantum or otherwise—can be “plugged in” without overhauling the CA core. This ensures rapid on‑boarding of future NIST rounds or proprietary PQC schemes.
• Automated Algorithm Roll‑Over: Through API‑driven workflows, administrators can define policies that trigger phased roll‑over of certificates to quantum‑safe algorithms. The CA orchestrates renewal and re‑issuance at scale, minimizing manual effort and service impact.

3. HSM & Key Management Upgrades

• FIPS‑Certified HSM Firmware Patches: eMudhra’s CA integrates with Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) that support firmware updates for PQC operations. As HSM vendors release PQC‑enabled firmware, eMudhra automates safe key migration and storage, ensuring private keys remain protected under post‑quantum algorithms.
• Dual‑Key Management: For critical assets, the CA can generate and store both classical and PQC private keys side‑by‑side. This dual‑key strategy offers fallback options and seamless transition paths.

4. Continuous Crypto Health Monitoring

• Algorithm Usage Analytics: The CA dashboard tracks which cipher suites (classical vs. PQC) are in active use across TLS endpoints. Administrators gain visibility into quantum‑ready adoption rates and can pinpoint legacy certificates that require updating.
• Alerting & Policy Enforcement: Custom policies can trigger alerts when deprecated algorithms (e.g., SHA‑1, RSA‑1024) are detected. Concurrently, the CA can enforce minimum‑security templates, refusing issuance of non‑compliant certificates.

5. Business Impact & Future‑Proofing

• Risk Mitigation: By embracing PQC hybrids today, organizations guard against “harvest‑now, decrypt‑later” attacks, where adversaries record encrypted traffic to decrypt once quantum computers mature.
• Seamless Migration: Crypto‑agile design ensures enterprises can pivot to next‑generation algorithms without service disruption—preserving operational continuity for web services, APIs, IoT devices, and VPN gateways.
• Regulatory Alignment: Early PQC adoption positions enterprises ahead of emerging regulations mandating quantum‑resistant cryptography, simplifying future compliance.

Through its Certificate Authority, eMudhra delivers a fully crypto‑agile, quantum‑resilient PKI platform—empowering customers to embrace post‑quantum algorithms at their own pace and sustain unbroken digital trust well into the quantum era.