Digital certificates facilitate secure connections between users and servers through public key infrastructures that help encrypt and decrypt sensitive, identifiable data. The X.509 certificate is the international industry standard used to authenticate online identities and provide strong protection against devious imposters. From email communications to browser access, here’s how X.509 certificates support stable and secure online connections.
What is an X.509 Certificate?
What Type of Information Do X.509 Certificates Carry?
What are X.509 Certificates Used For?
What are the Benefits of Using an X.509 Certificate?
How Should X.509 Certificates Be Managed?
Why is Automation Important?
Safeguard Key Connections with SSH
An X.509 certificate is a digital certificate that follows the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard, which outlines the format and type of data public key certificates should possess for optimal security. X.509 certificates contain specific user information, an issued public key, and digital signatures that verify a user’s identity as they access online services and sites.
When a user interacts with a server, a cryptographic key pair is generated, hashed, and sent to a certificate authority (CA), along with a digital certificate request. The CA is a trusted third-party entity that binds its public key to a digital certificate. Per the X.509 standard, the digital certificate contains specific data, such as the location of the user’s device, the certificate’s serial number, the CA’s name, the particular encryption algorithm used, and more, which we’ll detail in the next section.
After verifying the certificate’s information, the CA digitally signs it and sends it to the user in an encrypted format. The resulting X.509 certificate is then imported onto the user’s server, where it can be used further to establish safe connections with web browsers and safely engage with online data.
X.509 certificates can also be self-signed; that is, the user requesting the certificate can digitally sign it without the authorization of a third-party CA. However, most applications generally do not trust these certificates for this reason.
The general structure of an X.509 certificate is formally organized using Abstract Syntax Notation One, or ASN.1. Shown below is the baseline format for an X.509 digital certificate, along with what each component consists of:
Additional data, like extensions and unique identifiers, can be attached to the certificate for further user validation.
X.509 digital certificates aren’t only used for validating identities across the web. They can also be used to fortify the security of email communications, verify the legitimacy of documents signed online, and ensure that written code has not been tampered with. X.509 certificates also form the foundation of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols, which help browsers filter through fake websites, servers, and applications to establish a safe environment for online activity.
In a digital landscape rife with cybercrime, malware, and pesky bots, it can be hard for users to trust the safety of the internet. However, X.509 certificates are just as widely used as the SSH protocol, meaning almost every corner of the internet is safeguarded with hard-to-crack encryption algorithms to distinguish valid websites from fraudulent ones. Moreover, the pervasive use of SSH keys across the internet grants scalability to the applications of X.509 certificates.
As mentioned, X.509 certificates can be used to validate users participating in almost any online transaction, from signing legal documents to accessing an online banking account, since brute force attempts by hackers have a very slim chance of decoding lengthy SSH keys.
As with keys, passwords, and other types of credentials, X.509 certificates should be managed using an automated solution to prevent leaks that hackers are waiting to exploit. For complete protection, such solutions should extensively catalog X.509 certificates in circulation, outlining their key fields and current location for easy administrative viewing.
Since certificates can only be used within the timeframe allotted to them by the issuer, X.509 certificate management solutions should discard expired certificates that malicious actors can use to obtain sensitive information, while issuing new certificates with the help of a credible CA. However, experts recommend replacing X.509 certificates before their expiration date, as constant credential rotation complicates a hacker’s ability to find and use an active certificate.
Auditing practices should be conducted regularly to ensure that only authorized users can access a certificate management solution, to minimize the risk of human error and malicious behavior.
As one can imagine, the multi-step process of X.509 certification takes time — hours, even. While an IT department could manually manage this workload, overseeing hundreds or even thousands of certificates a day increases the likelihood that errors will be made, jeopardizing the security of an entire business.
There’s also no guarantee that all certificates will be adequately rotated, logged, and deleted in time to outpace expiration dates that can spark a website or service outage. Automation keeps all X.509 certificates functional, well-guarded, and compliant with federal security standards and regulations, ultimately saving organizations millions in operational, labor, and legal costs.
SSH’s Tectia solution offers future-proof protection for client-server connections with quantum-safe algorithms and Zero Trust architecture, to facilitate optimal security. With X.509 PKI compatibility, Tectia enables high-speed and secure cross-server communication, remote access, and data transfer, even in hybrid environments.
SSH’s PrivX solutions offer centralized control and surveillance for IT and OT systems, providing automated and comprehensive privileged access management. PrivX’s user-friendly and forward-thinking platform also harnesses predictive analytics for adequate supervision and threat mitigation, with flexible credential settings for scalable authentication.
Contact us today to learn how X.509 certificates can be efficiently deployed without compromising your organization’s online security.