About Encryption
EDI Exchange supports the Private Key Infrastructure (PKI) encryption method. This type of encryption is the most generally accepted method of protecting EDI Files from being pried upon by unauthorized persons. Without going further into the details of PKI, Public-key encryption is a cryptographic technique which enables users to securely communicate on an insecure public network, and reliably verify the identity of a user via digital signatures. Read more in Private Key Infrastructure.
A public-key infrastructure (PKI) is a system for the creation, storage, and distribution of digital certificates which are used to verify that a particular public key belongs to a certain entity. The PKI creates digital certificates which map public keys to entities, securely stores these certificates in a central repository, and revokes them if needed.
A PKI consists of:
| • | A certificate authority (CA) that both issues and verifies the digital certificates. |
| • | A registration authority which verifies the identity of users requesting information from the CA. |
| • | A central directory is a secure location to store and index keys. |
| • | A certificate management system. |
EDI Exchange relies on other software to establish the PKI. It only uses the capabilities of these programs through their Application Programming Interface (API). You need to separately install either PGP Desktop or the open source GPG4Win programs and set them up with the public keys of your trading partners and your own private key.
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