What is a Certificate Authority (CA) and how does it ensure trust?

A Certificate Authority (CA) is a trusted entity that issues and manages digital certificates used to verify identities in digital environments. It acts as the trust anchor in a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) system.

A CA ensures trust by:

  • Verifying the identity of individuals or organizations
  • Issuing digital certificates that bind public keys to verified identities
  • Maintaining certificate lifecycle controls
  • Publishing revocation information for compromised certificates

By validating identity before issuing certificates, a CA enables secure authentication, encrypted communication and legally enforceable digital signatures.