Certificates, Passwords and Signatures...

wwnexc · 12-09-2005, 12:30 AM

Hi,

I am kind'a new to the security and encryption sector. When i was doing my homework and did some research, i found out that there is a difference between a certificate, a key, a signature and password.

I am having a hard time understanding the differences, though. Aren't they all like passwords, just saved in a file??

Which one is the most secure? Why are the others weaker? What are their differences?

wwnexc

sundialsvcs · 12-09-2005, 12:32 PM

Now that, if ever I heard one, is definitely the subject of a Google search!

But, okay, here's the skinny:

A certificate is intended primarily to be "an identification badge." It's "security by 'what you possess.'" It is designed to be resistant to forgery and unauthorized alteration, and it may also be intended to have the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" from a trusted third-party.
A key is the secret input, or maybe the public/private pair of inputs, to a ciphering algorithm.
A signature is that "Seal of Approval" that I spoke of. The digital analog of putting one's name onto a document, such that the signature can't be faked, can't be substituted, and can (somehow) be considered "trustworthy."
A password is simply a secret. It's "security by 'what you know.'"

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