What is a certificate chain?

Question

Options

• AA chain of digital signatures used to verify the authenticity of a certificate
• BA sequence of certificates used to verify the authenticity of a digital certificate
• CA chain of public and private keys used for encryption and decryption
• DA sequence of public and private keys used for encryption and decryption

• A
  5% (1)
• B
  90% (18)
• D
  5% (1)

Explanation

Option B is correct because a certificate chain (also called a chain of trust) is literally a sequence of certificates - starting from an end-entity certificate, through one or more intermediate Certificate Authority (CA) certificates, up to a trusted root CA - where each certificate in the chain vouches for the one before it, allowing the recipient to verify authenticity.

Why the distractors fail:

• A confuses the mechanism (signatures) with the structure - yes, certificates use digital signatures internally, but the chain itself is composed of certificates, not bare signatures.
• C and D describe asymmetric key pairs (public/private keys), which are the cryptographic building blocks used inside certificates, not the chain structure itself.

Memory tip: Think of a certificate chain like a chain of references on a resume - each reference (certificate) vouches for the one before it, and the trust only holds if you can trace it back to someone you already trust (the root CA).

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