When the internet was first made available for public use, it changed the way how people and businesses could communicate. It also opened doors for new opportunities, such as online shopping and social networking. One drawback was that the internet was a public forum, with no security measures in place. This meant anyone could see anything online. This quickly changed, as companies began using their own security measures, including using a digital certificate.
A Digital Certificate Will Contain Encrypted Information
A digital certificate contains encrypted information which is used by the receiving computer to determine the authenticity of the sender. For example, you send an email with an attachment to a co-worker. When the co-worker receives the email message, their computer uses the public key stored in the certificate to see if it matches the private key in the message. The certificate can also contain a digital signature, as well as an expiration date.