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certification authority
Last modified: Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Abbreviated as CA, a trusted third-party organization or company that issues digital certificates used to create digital signatures and public-private key pairs. The role of the CA in this process is to guarantee that the individual granted the unique certificate is, in fact, who he or she claims to be. Usually, this means that the CA has an arrangement with a financial institution, such as a credit card company, which provides it with information to confirm an individual's claimed identity. CAs are a critical component in data security and electronic commerce because they guarantee that the two parties exchanging information are really who they claim to be.
Also referred to as a certificate authority.
CAcert.org A community non-profit Certificate Authority.
White paper on Certificate policies and practices This white paper, from Entrust Technologies, explains why Certificate policies and practice statements can be key components in establishing the degree of assurance or trust placed in certificates issued by CAs.
