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Public Key Infrastructure

5 minutes 5 Questions

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a framework for managing digital certificates and public-key encryption to enable secure communication, data encryption, and digital signatures on networks. In a PKI, a trusted authority called a Certificate Authority (CA) issues digital certificates that bind a p…

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CISSP - Public Key Infrastructure Example Questions

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Question 1

A company is implementing a new PKI infrastructure. They have to choose between a centralized and decentralized Certificate Authority (CA). Which approach is better for minimizing the risk of a single point of failure?

Correct Answer: Decentralized CA

A decentralized CA distributes the responsibilities across multiple servers, thus reducing the risk of a single point of failure. In contrast, a centralized CA has all the responsibilities and control on a single server, making it more vulnerable.

Question 2

A user wants to verify the authenticity of an email sent by their manager, which includes a digital signature. What should the user do to verify the signature?

Correct Answer: Use the manager's public key to verify the signature

To verify a digital signature, the recipient should use the sender's public key. This ensures that the signature was created with the sender's private key, confirming the authenticity of the sender.

Question 3

An organization wants to replace all employees' physical security badges with digital certificates. What would be the best choice for storing the digital certificates?

Correct Answer: Smartcards

Smartcards are the best choice for storing digital certificates as they provide secure storage, portability, and authentication for digital certificates. Smartcards are designed specifically to be tamper-resistant and protect sensitive data.

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