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CISSP-ISSAP · Question #214

Which of the following statements best describes a certification authority?

The correct answer is C. A certification authority is an entity that issues digital certificates for use by other parties.. Option C is correct because a Certification Authority (CA) is a trusted third-party organization (like DigiCert or Let's Encrypt) that issues digital certificates, which bind a public key to an identity and allow others to verify that identity online. A describes a digital signat

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Architecture

Question

Which of the following statements best describes a certification authority?

Options

  • AA certification authority is a technique to authenticate digital documents by using computer
  • BA certification authority is a type of encryption that uses a public key and a private key pair for
  • CA certification authority is an entity that issues digital certificates for use by other parties.
  • DA certification authority is a type of encryption that uses a single key to encrypt and decrypt

How the community answered

(55 responses)
  • A
    2% (1)
  • C
    95% (52)
  • D
    4% (2)

Explanation

Option C is correct because a Certification Authority (CA) is a trusted third-party organization (like DigiCert or Let's Encrypt) that issues digital certificates, which bind a public key to an identity and allow others to verify that identity online.

  • A describes a digital signature, not a CA - signing is the technique; the CA is the entity behind it.
  • B describes asymmetric (public-key) encryption - that's the cryptographic method CAs rely on, but it's not what a CA is.
  • D describes symmetric encryption (single shared key) - a completely different concept unrelated to CAs.

Memory tip: Think of a CA like a passport office - it doesn't travel for you, it just issues the credential that proves who you are. "Authority" = the issuer, not the technique.

Topics

#Certification Authority#Digital Certificates#PKI

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