A key ring is a file which contains multiple public keys of
certificate authority
In cryptography, a certificate authority or certification authority (CA) is an entity that stores, signs, and issues digital certificates. A digital certificate certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate. This ...
(CA).
A key ring is a file which is necessary for
Secure Sockets Layer
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network. The protocol is widely used in applications such as email, instant messaging, and voice over IP, but its use in securi ...
(SSL) connection over the web. It is securely stored on the
server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients
Role
* Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
which
hosts the website. It contains the
public/private key pair for the particular website. It also contains the public/private key pairs from various certificate authorities and the trusted root certificate for the various certification authorities.
An entity or website administrator has to send a
certificate signing request
In public key infrastructure (PKI) systems, a certificate signing request (also CSR or certification request) is a message sent from an applicant to a certificate authority of the public key infrastructure in order to apply for a digital identity ...
(CSR) to the CA. The CA then returns a signed
certificate
Certificate may refer to:
* Birth certificate
* Marriage certificate
* Death certificate
* Gift certificate
* Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something
* Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial pro ...
to the entity. This certificate received from the CA has to be stored in the key ring.
References
*Joseph Steinberg, Tim Speed, ''SSL VPN: Understanding, Evaluating, and Planning Secure, Web-based Remote Access'', Packt Publishing Ltd, 2005 {{ISBN, 1847190014.
Internet security
Secure communication