CHAPTER 6, PART 3

 USE OF PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURE (PKI)

1 BACKGROUND

PKI is an enabler of trust that provides strong user identification, confidential communication, data integrity, and evidence for non-repudiation among individuals that may or may not have had prior knowledge of each other.  Non-repudiation provides a proof-of-participation in an action or transaction by establishing that an user’s private key was used to digitally sign an electronic business transaction.  The trust that PKI facilitates is enterprise-wide through distinct, yet integrated policies and technology components.  These policies and components explicitly identify and determine the roles, responsibilities, constraints, range of use, and services available.