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Using VeriSign software, hardware makers can generate cryptographic keys and corresponding digital certificates that manufacturers or cable service providers can use to automatically identify individual modems.
This ‘ast-mile’authentication not only protects the value of existing content and services but also positions cable system operators to bring a broad new range of content, applications and value-added services to market.
When a certificate is digitally signed by a CA, its owner can use it as an electronic passport to prove his identity. It can be presented to Web sites, networks or individuals that require secure access.
Identifying information embedded in the certificate includes the holder’ s name and e-mail address, the name of the CA, a serial number and any activation or expiration data for the certificate. When a user’s identity is verified by the CA, the certificate uses the holder’s public encryption key to protect this data.
Public keys are also employed by certificates that a Web server uses to confirm the authenticity of a Web site for a user’s browser. When a user wants to send confidential information to a Web server, such as a credit-card number for an online transaction, the browser will access the public key in the server’s digital certificate to verify its identity.
Role of Public-Key Cryptography
The public key is one half of a pair of keys used in public-key cryptography, which provides the foundation for digital certificates.
Public-key cryptography uses matched public and private keys for encryption and decryption. These keys have a numerical value that’s used by an algorithm to scramble information and make it readable only to users with the corresponding decryption key.
A person’s public key is used by others to encrypt information meant only for that person. When he receives the information, he uses his corresponding private key, which is kept secret, to decrypt the...