Public key infrastructure (PKI) underpins most of the protected networks today. PKI uses a combination of public and private keys to authenticate users and devices. Although it’s widely used, PKI can be grouped with other outdated cybersecurity tactics like multi-factor authentication, which presents only a layering of “solutions” and is often clunky. There needs to be a more secure solution that offers a frictionless experience for users. That’s where QWERX comes in.
Similar to how many organizations spend too much time and effort educating users against cyberattacks when the user should be removed from the cybersecurity equation altogether, any advancements in PKI are a fix to a system that needs to be disrupted entirely. Just because PKI has a proven set of standards to work with doesn’t mean that you should be satisfied with the status quo.
No doubt, PKI was a brilliant invention in its day.
However, PKI dates back to the 1970s, and while fashion trends are cyclical, technology techniques are not. PKI is on its way out for good. It’s time we part ways with PKI and progress to the next level of cybersecurity.
PKI is the architecture, organization, techniques, practices and procedures that collectively support the implementation and operation of a certificate-based public key cryptographic system. A framework is established to issue, maintain and revoke public key certificates. To grasp this larger concept, let’s dive deeper into how PKI works (or doesn’t work…but we’ll cover that soon).
So how does PKI work and where do private keys come into the equation? Public and private keys are two very large numbers that, through advanced mathematics, have a unique relationship whereby information encrypted with one number (key) can only be decrypted with the other number (key) and vice versa. To leverage this characteristic for security operations, once two numbers are mathematically generated, one is kept secret (private key) and the other is shared (public key). The holder of the private key can then authenticate themselves to another party who has the public key. Alternatively, a public key may be used by one party to send a confidential message to the holder of the corresponding private key.
It sounds like a proven method, but users shouldn’t have to rely on secrecy when it comes to cybersecurity. Trust in an information system that is attached to the supposedly secret but static and easy-to-steal private key is problematic. Once that key is stolen, the trust that the system can operate securely disappears. This leads to the main problems inherent to PKI.
The good news: QWERX is here to replace vulnerable PKI.
It’s clear that QWERX’s superior solution creates a more efficient safeguard from attacks and the benefits are abundant and clear. When business owners can trust their cybersecurity without thinking much about it after implementation, it means clients can trust that business, and it’s an all-around advantageous situation: improved financials, employee and client satisfaction, and saved time.
QWERX is the only encryption methodology that is quantum-proof so that when you integrate QWERX into your network, not only are you ridding your organization of outdated tactics like PKI, but you can be sure that your cybersecurity will continually rise to the next level. Be at the forefront of technology advances and contact us today to explore solutions for your organization.
Amanda Costello is a freelance journalist in Omaha, Nebraska. She has been published in AudioFile Magazine, The Omaha World Herald and CNN. You can view more of her work here.
Sources
Forbes - How Open-Source PKI Is Innovating Cybersecurity
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - PKI
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - Public and Private Key