Which components are part of Public Key Infrastructure?

Which components are part of Public Key Infrastructure?

• A. Public Key Infrastructure; includes CAs, certificates, keys, and trust relationships.
• B. Routers and switches.
• C. VPN protocols.
• D. Antivirus software.

Answer: (A)

Public Key Infrastructure is the framework that issues and manages digital certificates and the keys used to secure communications, establishing trust between parties. The essential pieces are Certification Authorities that issue and sign certificates, the certificates themselves that bind a public key to an identity, and the trust relationships that allow systems to verify those certificates (often through certificate chains and revocation mechanisms). Routers and switches are just network devices, VPN protocols are methods for creating secure tunnels, and antivirus software is security for endpoints—none of these are the components that constitute PKI itself.

Public Key Infrastructure is the framework that issues and manages digital certificates and the keys used to secure communications, establishing trust between parties. The essential pieces are Certification Authorities that issue and sign certificates, the certificates themselves that bind a public key to an identity, and the trust relationships that allow systems to verify those certificates (often through certificate chains and revocation mechanisms). Routers and switches are just network devices, VPN protocols are methods for creating secure tunnels, and antivirus software is security for endpoints—none of these are the components that constitute PKI itself.