PKI & Certificates (Security+) Quiz

1. What is the primary purpose of a digital certificate in PKI?

To encrypt data at rest

To bind a public key to an entity's identity

To store private keys securely

To manage user passwords

2. Which protocol uses PKI to establish secure connections over the internet?

HTTP

TLS/SSL

FTP

SMTP

3. Which of the following is NOT typically included in a digital certificate?

Subject's public key

Subject's private key

Issuer's digital signature

Certificate validity period

4. What is the purpose of a Certificate Revocation List (CRL)?

To list all issued certificates

To identify certificates that have been revoked before expiration

To encrypt certificate data

To generate new certificate requests

5. OCSP is used to check certificate status in real time. What does OCSP stand for?

Online Certificate Status Protocol

Offline Certificate Security Protocol

Organizational Certificate Service Provider

Online Certificate Signing Process

6. What is the primary difference between a wildcard certificate and a standard certificate?

Wildcard certificates protect all subdomains of a domain

Wildcard certificates are more expensive to issue

Wildcard certificates cannot be revoked

Wildcard certificates use stronger encryption

7. What is a self-signed certificate?

A certificate signed by the subject itself

A certificate that has expired

A certificate issued by an intermediate CA

A certificate without a public key

8. Which trust model uses a hierarchical structure with a root CA at the top?

Web of Trust

Bridge Trust Model

Hierarchical Trust Model

Peer-to-Peer Trust Model

9. What is the primary advantage of using an intermediate CA in a certificate hierarchy?

To reduce the need for encryption

To isolate the root CA and reduce its exposure

To eliminate certificate revocation

To speed up certificate validation

10. What does the subject alternative name (SAN) field in a certificate allow?

Multiple domain names to be protected by a single certificate

The certificate to be renewed automatically

The private key to be backed up securely

The certificate authority to change ownership

11. Which cryptographic algorithm is commonly used to sign digital certificates?

RSA with SHA-256

AES-128

MD5 hashing

DES encryption

12. What is certificate pinning used for in PKI security?

To lock a certificate to a specific domain or application

To increase the key size of RSA

To revoke compromised certificates

To automate certificate renewal

13. What is the purpose of the key usage extension in an X.509 certificate?

To limit the certificate to specific cryptographic operations

To encrypt the certificate data

To identify the certificate issuer

To extend the certificate's validity period

Submit

19. What does X.509 define in the context of digital certificates?

Encryption algorithms for AES

The standard format for digital certificates

Key recovery procedures

Password hashing methods

20. Which entity issues and signs digital certificates in a PKI infrastructure?

Registration Authority (RA)

Certificate Authority (CA)

Key Distribution Center (KDC)

Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

PKI Quiz: Can You Master Digital Certificates?