◄ Wiki / Crypto
chain verification
Checking that a certificate is legitimately signed all the way up to an issuer you trust.
Given a certificate chain, verification walks each link, confirming every signature is valid, each issuer was allowed to sign, and the path ends at a trusted root. Only if every step holds is the end certificate considered trustworthy. Skipping or mishandling any link would let a forged certificate through.
See also
- certificate chainAn ordered sequence of certificates linking the one you're checking up to a root you already trust.
- certificate authority (CA)A trusted party allowed to vouch for identities by signing digital certificates.