What is the primary purpose of a digital certificate?

The primary purpose of a digital certificate is to verify the identity of a website or user in online communications. Digital certificates play a crucial role in establishing trust on the internet by allowing users to confirm that they are communicating with the legitimate entity they intend to interact with. This is often achieved through a trusted third party known as a Certificate Authority (CA), which issues and validates these certificates.

When a user connects to a website secured with HTTPS, the digital certificate presented ensures the user that the site is indeed who it claims to be, helping to prevent various types of online fraud, such as phishing attacks. This trust verification is fundamental to secure online transactions, communications, and data exchange, enabling users to share sensitive information with confidence.