juniorCryptography
What is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?
Updated Apr 28, 2026
Short answer
A set of roles, policies, hardware, software and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store and revoke digital certificates.
Deep explanation
At a junior level, understanding the CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) is crucial. Cryptography primarily addresses Confidentiality through encryption and Integrity through hashing and digital signatures.
Real-world example
Using HTTPS while browsing the web utilizes TLS to encrypt traffic between your browser and the server.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Base64 encoding with encryption.
Follow-up questions
- Can you reverse a hash?
- What makes a password 'strong'?