Certificate Authority

Restoring Consumer Confidence in Online Business

Online fraud is increasingly to blame for the erosion of consumer confidence in online business transactions. As the number of internet users worldwide is reaching the billions, the cybercrime industry is responding with reciprocal levels and intensity. The number of users that have been affected by some form of online fraudulent activity is reaching the millions. With evolving techniques, online criminals are outpacing the tactical security measures of the e-commerce industry.

Even with increasing consumer awareness about the threat to online security, the exhausting inventory of e-commerce advice and recommendations is not enough to restore trust in the online community. Instead, business entities and financial institutions will bear most of the responsibility in the efforts to combat fraud. Subsequently, such organizations need to consider enlisting the authentication services of a third-party certificate authority, such as Entrust, as an initial step in promoting online consumer confidence.

What is a Certificate Authority?

A certificate authority is a third-party organization that verifies the identity of an online business and then vouches for that identity through the issuance of a digital certificate. These digital certificates contain information regarding the organization, have a certificate expiration or revocation date, and are signed by the certificate authority itself. They also contain a public key for encryption purposes. Both the public key and certificate are bound to the registering business or organization once issued by the certificate authority. They are tied to the identity of the registered domain and, therefore, will not be issued by the certificate authority until all required information has been supplied and verified.

As a form of identification for the online entity once issued, these certificates are presented by the site's server to visiting client browsers. As a sort of greeting, the certificate presentation is a message saying, "I am ____, and my public key is _____." The visiting browser will review the information presented by the server and verify that it has been signed by a third-party certification authority. If the browser is satisfied and the certificate is accepted, communication and file encryption is enabled through a SSL secure channel established between the two computing endpoints.

Entrust Authority for Trusted Key and Certificate Services

By signing the digital certificate, the certificate authority stands behind its examination of the business' information. The certificate instills trust, but this trust will only be as good as the certificate authority that issued it. This is why it is so important that businesses use a trusted certificate authority, like Entrust, for third-party verification and certificate services. Entrust is an award-winning, internationally recognized organization offering digital identity and information security solutions for all businesses. For the last decade, Entrust has lead the market in providing encryption key and certificate management services for financial institutions, enterprises and government agencies worldwide. Thus, if the establishment and maintenance of a publicly trusted online environment is crucial to your business endeavors, then look to Entrust Authority product and software solutions.

Related Links


Entrust Authentication and Information Security Solutions

Entrust is an industry recognized leader of information security solutions that help organizations protect critical information through innovative products and services. Our solutions enable risk based authentication, multifactor authentication, file encryption, and digital signatures along with numerous other security capabilities. Entrust provides trusted security and encryption software for less.