312-50V10 · Question #381
Which of the following defines the role of a root Certificate Authority (CA) in a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?
The correct answer is C. The CA is the trusted root that issues certificates.. The root CA is the top-level trust anchor in a PKI hierarchy and is the entity responsible for issuing and signing certificates.
Question
Which of the following defines the role of a root Certificate Authority (CA) in a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?
Options
- AThe root CA is the recovery agent used to encrypt data when a user's certificate is lost.
- BThe root CA stores the user's hash value for safekeeping.
- CThe CA is the trusted root that issues certificates.
- DThe root CA is used to encrypt email messages to prevent unintended disclosure of data.
How the community answered
(33 responses)- A3% (1)
- C91% (30)
- D6% (2)
Why each option
The root CA is the top-level trust anchor in a PKI hierarchy and is the entity responsible for issuing and signing certificates.
A key recovery agent is a separate PKI role used to archive and recover private keys when a user's certificate is lost - this function is distinct from the root CA's role.
The root CA does not store user hash values - hash storage belongs to authentication systems, not PKI certificate management.
The root CA sits at the apex of the PKI hierarchy and is the ultimate source of trust - its self-signed certificate is the starting point for all certificate chain validation. It issues certificates to subordinate CAs and sometimes directly to end entities, and all trust in the infrastructure chains back to it.
Email encryption is performed using end-user certificates and protocols such as S/MIME - the root CA's role is to establish trust and issue certificates, not to encrypt messages.
Concept tested: Root CA role as top-level PKI trust anchor
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-cs/certification-authority-role
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