What is a private key and why is it important to protect it?
A private key is one half of the public/private key pair used in digital certificates. The private key is a software key used to sign challenges or documents. Similar to a physical signature, knowledge and use of the private key validates that the end user signed the challenge or document. Therefore, protecting the private key is critical to protecting the digital certificate and the user’s identity online. If a third party gains access to a user’s private key, the third party could easily masquerade as the user, commit fraud, and gain access to confidential information.
