Episode 59 — PKI and Certificates: CA, CRL, and OCSP

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) brings order to digital trust, and this episode unpacks how it works from the inside out. You’ll learn how certificate authorities (CAs) issue, validate, and revoke certificates that prove identity in online communication. The episode explains key PKI components—root, intermediate, and issuing authorities—and how certificate chains create a verifiable path of trust. We also cover the lifecycle of a certificate, from creation to expiration, and how subject fields, key usage, and signatures establish authenticity and purpose.Listeners will then explore how revocation mechanisms like Certificate Revocation Lists (CRL) and the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) prevent reliance on compromised credentials. We explain how stapling and caching improve performance while maintaining validation integrity. Practical examples—securing websites, email, and VPNs—show how PKI supports encryption, authentication, and nonrepudiation across systems. By mastering PKI concepts, you’ll gain a deep appreciation for how digital trust is built, maintained, and sometimes broken. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

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