{"id":3898,"date":"2025-11-11T16:15:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T16:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/?p=3898"},"modified":"2025-11-11T16:16:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T16:16:35","slug":"pki-authentication-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/pki-authentication-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to PKI Authentication with 8 Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

$900 million<\/a> and counting \u2014 that\u2019s the price the UnitedHealth Group is paying for a data breach and ransomware attack caused by weak authentication practices. PKI certificate-based authentication isn’t new, but it adds a layer of protection. Here’s how… <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each day, headlines are filled with a steady stream of ugly and scary reports about malicious websites, malware-infected software, and phishing email scams. So, who or what can you trust online?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public key infrastructure<\/a> (PKI) authentication helps you answer this crucial question. It empowers you to prove to your customers what’s true and earn trust in a world where digital identity, data integrity, and authenticity are always in question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready to learn more about PKI authentication and discover how it can assist you in winning the battle between trust and deception? Let\u2019s get the ball rolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is PKI Authentication?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PKI-based authentication is a set of processes, tools, and policies designed to secure online communications by enabling one or both parties to verify the entity on the other end of a connection. But PKI-based logins do more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When implemented properly, PKI-based authentication leverages digital certificates and cryptographic key pairs (more on that momentarily) to validate that an entity (i.e., a user, server, or device) really is who or what they claim to be. For example, it lets you securely access virtual private networks (VPNs) and Wi-Fi. It also confirms your identity when you digitally sign documents, code, and emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a fundamental step for a secure online interaction that answers the question: \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image caption: The screenshot shows a few examples where PKI authentication helps increase security.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

8 PKI-Based Authentication Examples You Can Use Within Your Organization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PKI authentication is like coffee. It\u2019s so versatile that you can find it everywhere \u2014 from online banking and emails to the smart devices in your office. And guess what? If you own a smart coffee maker, it\u2019s in that, too. Let\u2019s look at a few examples of how you can use certificate-based authentication within your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. PKI Authentication for Websites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a customer wants to place an order on your online shop but hesitates to enter their credit card details and personal information. Why? Because the user doesn’t know who’s really behind your online shop and is scared by the \u201cthis connection is not secure\u201d message they\u2019re seeing on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PKI authentication helps you solve this problem, providing assurance that you\u2019re really you. It allows your customer’s web browser to authenticate your server before establishing the connection. This way, the user can be sure they’re visiting a legitimate website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be as certain as possible, the customer can manually verify the organization information included in your secure socket layer\/transport layer security<\/a> (SSL\/TLS) certificate that\u2019s used for PKI authentication. Just as shown in the example below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image caption. The screenshot we captured on eBay.com<\/a><\/em> shows the Sectigo SSL\/TLS certificate information displayed by the Chrome browser, confirming that the website is authentic.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Robust PKI Authentication for Your Sensitive APIs and Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Application programming interfaces (APIs) are the glue that allows systems and applications to communicate and transfer data smoothly. Development teams use them to streamline workflows and deliver software faster. As you can imagine, this makes APIs juicy targets for cybercriminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akamai’s latest State of Apps and API Security report underscores these concerns. Based on the investigation, cybersecurity incidents related to one or more issues listed in the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) API Security Top 10<\/a> rose by a whopping 32% year over year<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s where mutual authentication in TLS (mTLS) comes in. This more robust type of PKI authentication includes a twist that further secures your APIs and other sensitive resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How? When your application requests access to an API protected by PKI authentication with mTLS, the API presents its SSL\/TLS certificate<\/a>. But that’s not enough. The application also proves its identity by sending the certificate to the API. Only then will the app (and consequently the user) get access to the protected resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK. That’s an extra step compared to the classic PKI authentication method we’ve just seen. However, several organizations use it. Take Mastercard, for example. Their API<\/a> harnesses the high level of security offered by mTLS to restrict access to sensitive resources to authorized users only. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image caption: mTLS is another example of how PKI authentication adds a layer of protection to your API access.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. PKI-Based Login for a Virtual Private Network (VPN)<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Image
Image caption: Some VPN solutions, such as OpenVPN, let you import your device certificate to boost access security.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A VPN allows you to securely connect to a network, masking your IP address and using advanced encryption to secure data in transit. It protects you from man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and snoopers aiming to steal the information you exchange over the internet. But what it can’t do is protect your credentials against phishing and malware-based threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PKI authentication can. It replaces your ID and password with a secure digital certificate<\/a> issued by your company<\/a>, or a trusted certificate authority (CA) and vendor such as SectigoStore.com<\/a>. No more credentials, no more bad guys trying to steal your username and password.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s fantastic news, given that the Specops research team discovered over 2 million VPN passwords<\/a> that were stolen via malware in just one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. PKI Authentication for Secure Wi-Fi Access<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, hackers destroyed a 158-year-old transport business<\/a> by exploiting one weak password. They guessed an employee’s credentials, encrypted all the company’s data, locked the systems, and asked for a hefty ransom. Since the company didn’t have the money, it ultimately went under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yup. Non-PKI-based authentication can really get your organization into trouble sometimes. Suppose that you implement PKI authentication for Wi-Fi access. Your users can connect to your company’s wireless network without a password. Cause removed, end of the problem. And if you’re worried about cybercriminals stealing their certificate’s private key, fear not. They’re all safely stored on their devices’ trusted platform modules (TPMs) and are inaccessible to device users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. PKI Authentication for Emails and Email Servers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The last quarter of the year is always an exciting time for everyone, especially for businesses and, surely, hackers. Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Christmas. Like the song says, “it’s the season to be jolly!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PKI authentication is your best defense against phishing and email scams<\/a> that could otherwise do lasting damage to your company\u2019s reputation. When you send your emails and newsletters signed with a secure\/multipurpose internet mail extensions S\/MIME certificate<\/a>, PKI binds your verified digital identity to the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means your customers and employees will always feel confident that the messages you send them are coming from else but you. That’s a game-changer considering that Pew Research reports that 63% of American adults<\/a> receive scam emails at least weekly. (28% indicated they receive these messages daily.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image caption: The graphic shows how public key infrastructure authentication protects you and your recipients from phishing attacks and other email scams.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Do you want to feel even more secure and comply with Google’s latest email security and authentication requirements<\/a> for email senders? Install an SSL\/TLS trusted certificate on your email server to enable public key infrastructure authentication. It\u2019ll help you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n