Digital ID
CERT's | Digital ID | External Certificate Authority | Secure Socket Layer
Digital IDs provide for Class 2 level authentication for e-mail addresses and Web sites. Verisign, which is the authorized distributor of these certificates, describes a Digital ID as being bound to your validated e-mail address and can be used to digitally sign your email and receive encrypted e-mail.
Digital IDs can also be used by your Web browser as the equivalent of an electronic membership card or to identify yourself to participating Web sites that wish to restrict access, eliminating the need to remember usernames and passwords.
Verisign explains that Digital IDs use public key encryption techniques that use two related keys, a public key and a private key. In public key encryption, the public key is made available to anyone who wants to correspond with the owner of the key pair. The public key can be used to verify a message signed with the private key or encrypt messages that can only be decrypted using the private key. The security of messages encrypted this way relies on the security of the private key, which must be protected against unauthorized use. Learn More
A contract has been negotiated with Verisign for Digital IDs to be assigned to UT Arlington employees who have a need for authentication. See the UT Arlington designated Verisign Online Form.