PKI / digital certificates

Certificates in general

The ZIH of the Technische Universität Dresden has been participating in the PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) of the German Research Network since July 2006 and issues certificates within this framework.
There are different types of certificates, which are selected according to their purpose.

Certificate types

User certificate

...is used for signing and encrypting/decrypting personal e-mail messages and for digitally signing PDF documents. Exactly one person is authenticated with this certificate. An identity check with a valid identity card or passport is required before user certificates can be issued. User certificates can be requested in certificate management in the self-service portal. 

Group certificate

...is used for signing and encrypting/decrypting e-mail messages. Group certificates are not suitable for digital signing.
Group certificates are issued for function logins.

Server certificates (ssl certificates)

...is used to prove the authenticity of a server and to encrypt the transport of data between the client and the server. 

Instructions and documentation

Instructions and documentation on applying for, setting up and using certificates can be found in the FAQ portal