Which statement best describes Certificate Authorities (CAs)?

Which statement best describes Certificate Authorities (CAs)?

• A. A protocol for securing web traffic
• B. A user authentication service
• C. A certificate revocation list validator
• D. Trusted entities that issue digital certificates

Answer: (D)

Certificate Authorities are trusted entities that issue digital certificates. They verify identities and bind a public key to that identity by signing the certificate with their private key, creating a chain of trust that browsers and systems rely on to confirm who owns a given public key. This distinguishes CAs from a web traffic protocol (TLS/SSL), from a user authentication service, or from a certificate revocation list validator; CAs don’t just verify or revoke certificates—they issue and sign them, enabling secure communications when the certificate chain leads to a trusted root.

Certificate Authorities are trusted entities that issue digital certificates. They verify identities and bind a public key to that identity by signing the certificate with their private key, creating a chain of trust that browsers and systems rely on to confirm who owns a given public key. This distinguishes CAs from a web traffic protocol (TLS/SSL), from a user authentication service, or from a certificate revocation list validator; CAs don’t just verify or revoke certificates—they issue and sign them, enabling secure communications when the certificate chain leads to a trusted root.