PKI Training Essentials: Empowering Your Security Skills

Did you know that without Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), internet users wouldn’t be enjoying the internet they enjoy today? Think about it this way: most legitimate websites use safe HTTPS, which uses PKI and some digital certificates to guarantee internet users’ security.

Understanding PKI and how it protects internet users is a wise decision for a student, a website administrator, or just a curious person. This piece explores the essential components of PKI that you should know about. So, read on.

Understanding PKI

In the modern world, companies rely on Public Key Infrastructure to keep their networks safe and guarantee internet users’ security. So, if you’re looking to adopt PKI, start with the relevant PKI training. Remember, PKI is one of the most common encryption many companies prefer today.

It is an encryption that an organization can use to encrypt a private key, a message, or a security key that only a trusted person should have access to. People use public keys to encrypt messages and use secret or private keys to decrypt these messages. These keys apply to devices and applications and can also be used by individuals.

Going back to the origins of PKI, the world witnessed the first PKI in the 1990s. During this formative stage, people used PKIs to manage the encryption keys by issuing and managing digital certificates. PKI digital certificates help one verify the owner of a particular private key.

PKIs also verify the authenticity of relationships between owners of private keys and help these people maintain utmost security. You would be right to compare a PKI to a passport or driver’s license, enabling you to access certain privileges.

Other than HTTP, SSL certificates are also examples of PKI certificates that websites use to help visitors be sure of who they’re sending information to. These PKIs also allow Internet users to verify digital signatures and other Internet of Things devices.

Now That You Understand What PKIs Are, Here’s How They Work

First, PKIs work as building blocks for the cryptography of public keys. As such, PKI users use cryptographic algorithms to encrypt and decrypt messages despite their mathematical complexities.

Secondly, PKIs assist internet users and security enthusiasts in doing symmetric encryption. Symmetric encryption helps people take plain texts through mathematical conversions to create an encryption. The logic here is simple–the encrypted message isn’t easy to break.

After all, the plain text in the message doesn’t come out in the encrypted message. For instance, if an encryption message has “hhh,” the message wouldn’t encrypt it with its three similar characters. Therefore, it becomes difficult for unwanted persons to try and figure out the security key.

PKI also works interestingly. You can only encrypt and decrypt using the same key. As for asymmetric encryptions, they solve an exchange program that users of symmetric encryption struggle with.

Asymmetric encryptions create two different security keys: public and private. While asymmetric encryption also uses mathematical permutations to develop security, the private key is usually only known to the message recipient. This makes this option safer than symmetric encryption, as compromising a single key won’t affect the entire system.

Consider this case scenario: you want to send a private message to Lynn. To ensure the safety of your message, you use Lynn’s public key to generate encryption for your transmission. As a result, only Lynn’s private key can decrypt the message you have encrypted. So, both of you win and reduce the chances of unwanted people reading your letter.

Below is the difference between private and public PKIs

Private and Public PKI

Once you’ve understood what a PKI is and how to use it, it’s time to act. However, at this stage, you will likely face the dilemma between the public and private PKIs. Interestingly, this dilemma forces many companies to adopt a hybrid approach, which also comes with challenges.

Here’s the thing: with both the public and private keys, it can be challenging to track how many digital certificates you have. Sometimes, you may not even tell whether they are compliant, and in some instances, you can forget where they are located. One would argue that this is false for individuals who practice best practices. It is accurate until you are too busy asking application owners to help you recover from past outages and renew your certificates.

Before this, the two-tier and three-tier hierarchies were dominant, and the IT teams had to agree on which security strategy to use. Luckily, changes and modernization have made it easier to deploy and manage PKIs. Today, you must decide which PKI to use for your organizational or business needs.

All the identical two-tier PKI deployments are more familiar with the three-tier architecture, only coming into the picture when an organization has a specific industrial or technical requirement. With modification, it is possible to store private keys and protect the CAs by implementing HSMs. This security measure ensures that attackers do not breach enterprise networks.

Final Thoughts

PKI comes with complexities, but it also comes with many benefits. After deploying a PKI, your organization can reduce its security maintenance costs. Efficient public critical infrastructure is at the core of a solid digital defense.

At the same time, you need to constantly educate yourself on emerging issues around PKIs as cybersecurity is evolving. As cybersecurity experts acquire essential knowledge and skills to deliver on PKI, you should also be equipping yourself to protect your data.