There are few things more important to a business than digital security. Employees need to be able to sign into their accounts, devices, and networks securely and efficiently, and everything must be protected from infiltrators or bad actors. PKI certificates are a common tool for cyber security, but not everyone knows what they are, how they work, or how they compare to traditional passwords.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a system that allows you to encrypt and sign data for security purposes. PKI certificates, in turn, digitally authenticate the identity of a user to ensure safe use of an account, device, or service. PKI provides a safer way for a known user to securely connect to both public systems, like web pages, and private systems like VPN’s, Wi-Fi®, and other forms of multi-factor authentication (MFA) systems.
Usernames and passwords are becoming a thing of the past for modern businesses. At the same time, PKI certificates are becoming more prevalent and cost-effective, giving companies more reason to throw out the standard username and password as their authentication mechanism.
Credentials are easy to hack
While passwords and similar credentials are a good start, good security requires more. An account with a single layer of security can be highly susceptible to outsiders and bots that can guess passwords within minutes.
PKI certificates, on the other hand, use industry-grade encryption and the standard Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP). This provides an easy and secure way for device enrollment and subsequent authentication that can’t be hacked or stolen as easily as a password.
PKI relieves human-error situations
Human error is one of the toughest vulnerabilities to defend against, and hackers know this, hence the uptick in attacks that target individuals, like phishing or man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. These man-in-the-middle attacks are when an outsider intercepts communication between two parties. For example, when an employee accidentally clicks on a link within a phishing email, the MITM can gain access to the email account and even the device.
With PKI, on the other hand, there are multiple levels of security through the public/private key combo. So, even if an attacker can gain access to the public key, their efforts would render it useless because they would need the private key in order to decode the data and understand the message.
Decrease IT-related Problems with Wi-Fi®
In situations without PKI Certificates and SCEP, anyone can give the username and password of your Wi-Fi® network to someone else. This leads to a situation where unknown users can keep using your network without your knowledge and permission.
PKI certificates entirely replace Wi-Fi® passwords and only give network access to a chosen group of users. Foxpass's SCEP as part of our Advanced RADIUS, for example, helps your chosen users to easily enroll their devices, thus allowing you to keep track of which users have access to your Wi-Fi® network.
In addition to easily granting network access, you can also easily revoke access to any user by revoking his/her SCEP certificate from the Foxpass Console.
Businesses of all sizes can quickly secure their Wi-Fi® networks using Foxpass’s Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP). It’s fully managed and easy to implement, so organizations can protect their networks with minimal fuss.
Moreover, Foxpass SCEP certificates expire every 5 years, whereas regular certificates expire every year, and thus can reduce hassle for the IT teams every year.
With a PKI management/SCEP system like Foxpass’s, you can keep your Wi-Fi® network protected, without inconveniencing your employees or IT team. For more information, schedule a demo or talk with a representative at help@foxpass.com.
Wi-Fi is a trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance®
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