Certificate Authorities
Certificate Authorities are trusted entities that issue digital certificates, which verify the ownership of public keys. They act as a bridge of trust in a PKI framework by signing certificates that bind an entity's identity to its public key.
In the context of finance, they ensure that a user is communicating with the intended server or institution rather than an impostor. While decentralized systems aim to eliminate intermediaries, CAs remain relevant in the web interfaces of exchanges and the communication channels between institutional API nodes.
A compromised CA could lead to man-in-the-middle attacks where communications are intercepted. Maintaining a secure CA environment is a fundamental requirement for institutional-grade digital asset security.