This book is a tutorial on, and a guide to the deployment of, Public-Key Infrastructures. It covers a broad range of material related to PKIs, including certification, operational considerations and standardization efforts, as well as deployment issues and considerations. Emphasis is placed on explaining the interrelated fields within the topic area, to assist those who will be responsible for making deployment decisions and architecting a PKI within an organization.
Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI) is the foundation of the four major elements of digital security: authentication, integrity, confidentiality, and non-repudiation. The idea of a public-key infrastructure has existed for more than a decade, but the need for PKI has intensified over the last few years as the Internet has expanded its reach into business, government, the legal system, the military, and other areas that depend on secure communications.
Understanding PKI, Second Edition, is both a guide for software engineers involved in PKI development and a readable resource for technical managers responsible for their organization’s security policies and investments. It is a comprehensive primer to the latest in PKI technology and how it is used today. Taking a non-vendor-specific approach, this book explains fundamental concepts, examines emerging standards, and discusses deployment considerations and strategies that effect success.
This second edition has been updated throughout to incorporate all of the most recent developments in the PKI field. Two new chapters have been added to address the use of PKI in the real world and to explore the technology’s future. This new edition also addresses:
The X.509 standard PKI for privacy The emergence of electronic signatures and accompanying legislation New PKI initiatives supported by the XML standards bodies In addition to this specific information, the authors lend their informed opinions on how emerging trends will drive the expansion of PKI.
0672323915B10162002