I. Introduction (5 minutes) A. Overview of the topic B. Importance of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) C. Outline of the presentation II. Basics of Cryptography (5 minutes) A. Overview of encryption and decryption B. Symmetric and Asymmetric encryption C. Key management III. Public Key Infrastructure (10 minutes) A. Definition of PKI B. Components of PKI C. Certificate Authorities (CA) D. Digital Certificates E. Certificate Management IV. Real-World Applications (5 minutes) A. Secure Email B. Secure Websites C. Virtual Private Networks (VPN) D. Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) V. PKI Challenges and Best Practices (5 minutes) A. Trust Management B. Key and Certificate Management C. Scalability D. Security threats and mitigation techniques VI. Conclusion (5 minutes) A. Summary of the presentation B. Benefits of PKI C. Future outlook D. Q&A session. Introduction: Good morning/afternoon everyone, and welcome to this presentation on the fundamentals of Public Key Infrastructure, or PKI. Today we'll be discussing the importance of PKI and how it plays a crucial role in securing digital communications and transactions. I'll start by providing an overview of what PKI is and why it is important. Then, we'll delve into the basics of cryptography, the components of a PKI system, real-world applications, and the challenges and best practices for PKI. By the end of this presentation, you should have a solid understanding of PKI and how it works. Basics of Cryptography: Before diving into PKI, let's first understand the basics of cryptography. Cryptography is the practice of protecting information by converting it into an unreadable form, called encryption, and converting it back into a readable form, called decryption. There are two main types of encryption: symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Symmetric encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption. While it is fast and efficient, it can be a challenge to manage the secure exchange of the encryption key between parties. Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key cryptography, uses two different keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. This allows for secure communication between two parties without the need to exchange a secret key beforehand. Public Key Infrastructure: Now that we understand the basics of cryptography, let's turn our attention to PKI. PKI is a system for securely transmitting information over the internet and verifying the identity of parties involved in a transaction. A PKI system consists of several components, including: • Certificate Authorities, or CAs, which are trusted third-party organizations responsible for issuing and managing digital certificates. • Digital certificates, which are electronic documents that contain a public key and identifying information about the holder of the certificate. • Certificate Management, which involves maintaining the validity and trustworthiness of certificates, revoking certificates that have been compromised, and managing key pairs. Real-World Applications: PKI has a wide range of real-world applications, including: • Secure email, where digital certificates are used to encrypt and sign email messages to ensure the privacy and authenticity of the message. • Secure websites, where digital certificates are used to encrypt data transmitted over the internet and verify the identity of the website. • Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, which use digital certificates to secure data transmission over the internet. • Secure File Transfer Protocol, or SFTP, which uses digital certificates to secure file transfers over the internet. PKI Challenges and Best Practices: While PKI provides a secure and efficient means of transmitting information, it is not without its challenges. Some of the key challenges include trust management, key and certificate management, scalability, and security threats. To overcome these challenges, it's important to implement best practices, such as regular certificate renewals, implementing proper key management practices, and conducting regular security audits to ensure the integrity of the PKI system. Conclusion: In conclusion, PKI is a critical component of modern-day digital communications and transactions. It provides a secure and efficient means of transmitting information and verifying the identity of parties involved in a transaction. While there are challenges to implementing and maintaining a PKI system, implementing best practices can help overcome these challenges. I hope this presentation has provided you with a good understanding of PKI and its importance. Thank you for your time, and I'm now open to any questions you may have.
Filevine Tech Talk
February 13th, 2023