Private Key

A private key is the secret half of an asymmetric key pair. It decrypts data encrypted to its public key and creates digital signatures, so whoever holds it can act as the key's owner.

Why it matters

Everything built on public-key cryptography depends on the private key staying private. If a website's TLS private key leaks, an attacker can impersonate the site or, with some configurations, decrypt recorded traffic. Certificate authorities will revoke certificates whose keys are compromised, and the owner must generate a new pair and reissue.

Example

A typical web server keeps its key in a file such as /etc/ssl/private/example.com.key with permissions 600 owned by root. The certificate file next to it is public, but the .key file should never be copied into a repository or sent by email.

Common mistakes

• Committing keys to Git, where they remain in history even after deletion.
• Using the same private key for years or across many servers.
• Skipping a passphrase or hardware protection on keys that guard valuable systems.

Related

• Public key
• Key management
• SSL/TLS
• Digital signature
• टूल: SSL checker

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