Trust Hierarchies

Trust hierarchies define the structure of relationships between entities that issue and trust digital certificates. At the top of the hierarchy is a Root Certificate Authority, which is self-signed and trusted by all participants in the network.

Below the root are intermediate authorities that issue certificates to end users or devices. This structure allows for scalable trust management, as the root can delegate authority to smaller, more specific entities.

In finance, this ensures that a high-level institution can verify the integrity of its subsidiary systems without exposing the master root key. The hierarchy must be carefully protected, as a breach at the top level would compromise the entire chain of trust.