PKI, Public Key Infrastructure

In the field of cryptography, a public key infrastructure provides a digital certificate that proves the identity of an organization or individual. The information of both parties may be stored in a network directory and when authentication fails, requests may be revoked. While the common components of PKI are mostly understood, several vendors are implementing different methods and services. PKI standards that pertain strictly to the internet are currently being developed. PKI automatically assumes the use of public key cryptography, the most common approach on the web for authenticating identity and encrypting data. Historically, cryptography has typically consisted of creating and sharing a private key for encrypting and decrypting messages. The flaw in this system is that messages can be easily decrypted if the key is intercepted by an intruder. Because of this, the PKI and public key cryptography is the most reliable approach when exchanging sensitive data on the internet.