What role does a Certificate Authority (CA) play in encryption?

A Certificate Authority (CA) is a vital component in the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that underpins secure communication over networks. Its primary role is to issue digital certificates that authenticate the identities of entities, such as individuals, organizations, or devices. These digital certificates contain important information, including the public key of the entity and details about the CA that issued the certificate.

By validating the identity of the certificate holder, the CA helps establish a chain of trust. When someone receives a digital certificate, they can trust that the corresponding public key belongs to the entity named in the certificate. This is crucial for secure communications because it ensures that data exchanged over a network has been encrypted using the correct public key of the intended recipient, mitigating the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks.

While the other options present roles related to encryption and security, they do not accurately represent the primary function of a CA. The involvement of a CA is specifically about issuing digital certificates to verify identities, which is essential for establishing secure and trusted communication channels.