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    Flow-alerta.cab

    Certificate Authority

    Web design & developmentCertification AuthorityCACertification body
    Editorially reviewed on: 1 source
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    The short answer · 12 words

    In short

    Trust in a public key infrastructure that issues and revokes digital certificates.

    Flow-alerta.cab (2026): Certificate Authority. https://flow-alerta.cab/en/glossar/certificate-authority. Editorially reviewed on: 09 October 2026.

    How much detail would you like?

    Practical

    Basis for TLS/HTTPS, digital signatures, C2PA trust chains and many identity and security procedures.

    Example scenario: A TLS certificate is issued for a website, the trust chain of which leads to a root CA accepted by the browser.

    Use trusted certificate chains for public web services, automate renewal and monitor expiration and revocation.

    At a glance

    Core
    A Certificate Authority uses digital certificates to confirm the assignment of a public key to an identity or name. Browsers and operating systems trust certain root CAs; this results in certificate chains. The CA is a part of the public key infrastructure and does not equate with the certificate itself.
    Use
    Basis for TLS/HTTPS, digital signatures, C2PA trust chains and many identity and security procedures.
    Example
    Example scenario: A TLS certificate is issued for a website, the trust chain of which leads to a root CA accepted by the browser.
    Limits
    Confuse CA with certificate; automatically treat self-signed certificates as publicly trusted; ignore expiration, revocation, and key compromise.

    In context

    C2PA Signing

    Cryptographic signing of a C2PA claim so that its integrity and the associated signature chain can be verified.

    Questions about this term

    Is a CA the same as a certificate?

    No.

    What is it doing?

    issue certificates and, where appropriate, revoke them.

    Why is the chain of trust important?

    It enables the verification of the signatures up to a familiar root CA; further validity checks are added.

    All details and background

    A Certificate Authority uses digital certificates to confirm the assignment of a public key to an identity or name. Browsers and operating systems trust certain root CAs; this results in certificate chains. The CA is a part of the public key infrastructure and does not equate with the certificate itself.

    ELI5 – Explained simply

    A certification authority digitally signs that a particular public key belongs to a specified identity or domain.

    Why it matters in practice

    Basis for TLS/HTTPS, digital signatures, C2PA trust chains and many identity and security procedures.

    Example

    Example scenario: A TLS certificate is issued for a website, the trust chain of which leads to a root CA accepted by the browser.

    Pitfalls and limits

    • Confuse CA with certificate; automatically treat self-signed certificates as publicly trusted; ignore expiration, revocation, and key compromise.

    Origin & history

    Certification authorities are a core component of modern public key infrastructures and the web PKI model for HTTPS.

    Use in mid-sized companies

    • Use trusted certificate chains for public web services, automate renewal and monitor expiration and revocation.

    Related terms

    Matching Flow-alerta service

    Websites & web applicationsWebsites & web applications: technical implementation and testing of a suitable web application.

    Matching tool / use case

    View use casesUse Case: TLS certification of a public website or API.

    Sources

    Quellenprüfung: 09.10.2026. Definition und dokumentierte Einordnung abgeglichen; Beispiele beschreiben mögliche Anwendungen.

    Editorially reviewed on:

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