The act of granting approval. Authorization to resources or information within an application can be based on simple or complex access control methods.

A digital “passport”. A certificate is a secure electronic identity conforming to the X.509 standard. Certificates typically contain a user’s name and public key. A CA authorizes certificates by signing the contents using its CA signing private key.

A list containing the serial numbers of public key certificates that have been revoked. CRLs are placed in directories so that applications can check the revocation status of certificates before trusting them.

The system responsible for issuing secure electronic identities to users in the form of certificates. The Entrust Authority™ Security Manager product acts as the CA.

The process by which two CAs certify each others’ trustworthiness. Cross-certification initiates PKI networking. With PKI networking, users from both CAs can securely communicate with each other.

An encrypted file containing your personal security data, including your private keys. Access to your digital ID requires authentication via some combination of tokens, biometrics and/or passwords.

A digital signature is like a paper signature, except that it is fully electronic. A digital signature is impossible to forge, making it more secure than a paper signature. A digital signature provides verification to a recipient that the signed file came from the person who sent it, and that it was not altered since it was signed.

A directory is a software program that stores information (much like a database). In Entrust, a directory serves as a repository for the certificates of all users. The directory also keeps lists of certificates that have been revoked because they are no longer trusted (CRLs). Access to the directory is via the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol( [..]

These are your rights and privileges,from an application perspective, based on who you are. Based on your identity and role, you may be granted or denied access to various types of applications or data.

A federal government standard by which security products are measured. Entrust was the first company to receive certification to FIPS PUB 140-1 level 1 and has been awarded 6 different FIPS certifications to date. Entrust also supports FIPS PUB 140-1 level 3 security hardware devices from various partner companies.