What kind of certificate is used to validate a user identity?

The correct answer is A. Public key certificate. A public key certificate (also called a digital certificate or identity certificate) binds a user's identity (name, email, etc.) to their public key, with the binding signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). Relying parties verify this signature to authenticate the…

Submitted by rachelw· Apr 18, 2026Cryptography

Question

Options

APublic key certificate
BAttribute certificate
CRoot certificate
DCode signing certificate

How the community answered

(16 responses)

A
88% (14)
B
6% (1)
D
6% (1)

Explanation

A public key certificate (also called a digital certificate or identity certificate) binds a user's identity (name, email, etc.) to their public key, with the binding signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). Relying parties verify this signature to authenticate the user's identity. An attribute certificate carries authorization attributes (roles, privileges) but not identity. A root certificate establishes CA trust anchors. A code signing certificate validates the authenticity and integrity of software, not a user's identity.

Topics

#Certificates#PKI#Identity validation#Public key cryptography

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