200-201 Question 162
Select 2During an investigation, a cybersecurity analyst is presented with a digital certificate used to secure a web server. The analyst is tasked with verifying the certificate's authenticity and ensuring it has not expired. Which components of the certificate should the analyst examine?
- A
Issuer information
- B
Serial number
- C
Expiration date
- D
Subject Common Name (CN)
- E
Public key
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, C
Explanation
To verify the authenticity and validity of a certificate, the analyst must review the issuer information to ensure it was issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) and check the expiration date to confirm that the certificate is still valid. These components are essential in assessing whether the certificate can be trusted and used securely.
- A. Correct.
The issuer information is critical for verifying the authority that issued the certificate, which helps determine its authenticity.
- B. Incorrect.
The serial number is unique to each certificate and can assist in identifying a specific certificate, but it is not directly used to verify authenticity or check expiration.
- C. Correct.
The expiration date is crucial to ensure that the certificate is still valid and has not expired, which could render it unusable.
- D. Incorrect.
The Subject Common Name (CN) identifies the entity (e.g., a server or domain) the certificate is issued for but does not help verify the certificate's authenticity or expiration.
- E. Incorrect.
The public key is part of the certificate's cryptographic functionality but does not directly assist in verifying the certificate's authenticity or expiration.