X.509 Client Certificate

Definition

A digital document that acts as a user's digital identification card on the Internet.

The X.509 client certificate is based on the X.509 format, which is an Internet standard developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). For more information, see the ITU at www.itu.int.

Use

X.509 client certificates contain the public part of a user's public-key information and are used for authentication purposes and for verifying digital signatures. A Certification Authority (CA) guarantees the certificate owner's identity and approves or issues the certificate to the user.

Specifically, you use client certificates as follows:

●     You use your own certificate to identify yourself to others.

●     You use someone else's certificate to verify their digital signatures.

For more information, see Public-Key Technology.