nerdexam
GIAC

GSLC · Question #49

Which of the following statements about a certification authority (CA) is true?

The correct answer is D. It is a trusted third-party organization that issues digital certificates to create digital signatures and. A Certificate Authority (CA) is a trusted third party that issues digital certificates to bind public keys to entity identities, enabling digital signatures and PKI-based trust.

Security Architecture & Engineering

Question

Which of the following statements about a certification authority (CA) is true?

Options

  • AIt is a non-profit organization that sets security standards for e-commerce.
  • BIt issues physical certificates that confirm the identity of entities.
  • CIt is a business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce model that is used for high-volume transactions.
  • DIt is a trusted third-party organization that issues digital certificates to create digital signatures and

How the community answered

(40 responses)
  • A
    8% (3)
  • B
    3% (1)
  • C
    3% (1)
  • D
    88% (35)

Why each option

A Certificate Authority (CA) is a trusted third party that issues digital certificates to bind public keys to entity identities, enabling digital signatures and PKI-based trust.

AIt is a non-profit organization that sets security standards for e-commerce.

CAs are not non-profit standard-setting organizations - that role belongs to bodies like NIST or ISO, while CAs are commercial or enterprise entities focused on certificate issuance.

BIt issues physical certificates that confirm the identity of entities.

CAs issue digital (electronic) certificates stored as data files containing public keys and identity metadata, not physical certificates.

CIt is a business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce model that is used for high-volume transactions.

A CA has no relationship to B2C commerce models - it is an identity and cryptographic trust infrastructure component, not a business transaction framework.

DIt is a trusted third-party organization that issues digital certificates to create digital signatures andCorrect

A CA is a trusted third-party organization that issues digital certificates binding a public key to a verified entity, allowing that entity to prove its identity and create digital signatures. CAs are the cornerstone of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and examples include DigiCert, Let's Encrypt, and Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services. Without a CA, there is no trusted mechanism to validate that a public key actually belongs to the claimed party.

Concept tested: Role and function of a Certificate Authority in PKI

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-cs/active-directory-certificate-services-overview

Topics

#PKI#certificate authority#digital certificates#digital signatures

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full GSLC Practice