What Are Digital Certificates?

What are Digital Certificates?

We have witnessed a dramatic transformation in our world and lives because of digitalization. Online communication and transactions have increased in the past few years. One such digital transformation came in education and skill training through the digitalization of certificates. Digital certificates are linked with blockchain technology to make them more secure and accessible with just one scan. 

A digital certificate contains all the details like a standard certificate, including the certificate holder's name, serial number, expiration dates (if any) and a QR code (used for scanning the issued certificate in the blockchain). The certificate-holder can verify the certificate's authenticity through the digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority and by scanning the QR code given on the certificate.

How Digital Certificates Ensure Authenticity?

Digital certificates are proof of an endpoint's authenticity. It proves that you have completed a course or skill with the defined guidelines and gained the certification. For example, you have completed a course in data science from an online institute. In that case, they provide you with the digital certificate with a stamp of the authenticity for your course completion. 

Anyone seeking the certificate's authenticity can scan the QR code and check whether it is a authentic and issued by the authorised authority. Digital certificates cannot be fake because only a qualified institute can issue the certificate. The digital certificate provides assurance of authenticity by binding the public key to the entity (student) that owns it. 

What Kind of Security Do Digital Certificates Offer?

Because digital certificates serve primarily as a verification step for a qualified skill, course or any other information, their integrity must always be protected. Not only do educational institutes benefit from digital certificates, but many other certificate-issuing bodies can take advantage of digital certificates. Listed below are the benefits of digital certificates.

Confidentiality Of Data

Using digital certificates, the concerned person or organization can confirm the identity of individuals or organizations with whom they are communicating or dealing with. The other party cannot access the digital certificate information without the QR code. That assures the sender that no one can tweak, tamper or take away your digital certificate. 

Data Integrity

The encryption of digital certificates with blockchain technology ensures that the data being sent remains free from tampering or deliberate changes during transmission. Once a certificate is issued, for example, all information regarding owner and the certificate cannot be changed.

Access Management

With digital certificates, documents and other files are accessible only to the parties involved in verification or who are authorized to access them. Thus making digital certificates a highly secure yet easily accessible at the same time. 

Transaction Receipts

Digital certificates provide immutable proof, which is one of their greatest advantages. Essentially, it ensures that no one can contest the certificate's authenticity

Key Takeaways

Educational institutes can request the custom template for the certificate design or use  already existing designs. The fact that only public certificate authorities can sign it, which must undergo rigorous verification, ensures the trustworthiness of a digital certificate. For educational institutes or institutions providing certifications, VeriDoc Certificates secure the authenticity of your digital certificates. Connect with VeriDoc Certificates to learn more features in detail. 

Besides being highly scalable, digital certificates play a vital role in cybersecurity, such as protecting against certificate fraud.