Why Private Certification Authorities Need WebTrust Assessments

In the digital marketplace, certification authorities (CA) play an important role as trust anchors on the Internet—their primary goal is to establish confidence, confidentiality, integrity, and authentication during various digital communication and transaction scenarios, enabling secure interactions and protecting sensitive information. But that makes it imperative that these CAs remain trustworthy themselves, and in this, WebTrust audits can help.

Digital trust is an emerging market that Schellman has dedicated an entire practice to—including offerings of WebTrust audits—and so in this article, we are going to expand on how certification authorities work, and why those that are private can benefit from undergoing a WebTrust audit, as well as your different assessment options.

How Do Certification Authorities Work?

We mentioned that certification authorities (CA) are considered trust agents and that’s because they issue authentication certificates that are used by web browsers to encrypt traffic from user client devices to the server hosting the site—in so doing, they provide consumers with assurance that websites are legitimate with rights to that domain.

Public certification authorities enhance their trustworthiness through the mandated startup and annual audits required by the Certification Authority / Browser (CA/B) Forum, an industry consortium that has worked with the audit community to establish WebTrust, an audit scheme that rigorously evaluates the generally accepted processes and controls that a certification authority should assert to exact confidence.

What Does a Private Certification Authority Do?

However, most certification authorities are not in the public domain—rather, they operate behind a private enterprise’s firewall and issue certificates that:

Clearly, private CAs play a crucial role in ensuring secure communication and digital transactions by issuing and managing digital certificates to internal entities, despite not being subject to the same WebTrust audit obligations.

6 Benefits of WebTrust for Private Certification Authorities

Still, private CAs can choose to undergo a WebTrust for CA assessment to benchmark their policies, processes, and controls against a widely established standard to identify weaknesses in critical infrastructure—in fact, obtaining a WebTrust assessment can benefit a private CA in at least six ways:

1. Enhanced Credibility

Because WebTrust is a widely recognized assurance program developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), undergoing a WebTrust assessment demonstrates a commitment to meeting industry best practices and standards, boosting credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of clients, partners, and other stakeholders.

2. Competitive Advantage in the Marketplace

Many organizations and individuals prioritize working with CAs that have undergone independent audits and obtained a recognized WebTrust seal. Evidencing an unqualified WebTrust audit report with a WebTrust seal can differentiate the CA from competitors who may not have undergone such assessments, thereby attracting more customers and business opportunities.

3. Successful Regulatory Compliance

Depending on jurisdiction, there may be specific regulations or industry requirements that CAs must meet.

Because WebTrust assessments align with various frameworks and standards, successfully obtaining a WebTrust seal can help a CA demonstrate compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines, which can be beneficial in sectors like finance, healthcare, or government where compliance is of utmost importance.

4. Increased Customer Confidence

A WebTrust seal provides customers with an additional level of assurance regarding the CA's practices and the security of its digital certificates, which can instill confidence in customers, assuring them that their transactions and communications are protected by reliable and secure certificates.

Increased customer confidence can lead to higher customer retention rates and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

5. Better Risk Mitigation

During a WebTrust assessment, auditors will evaluate the CA's policies, procedures, controls, and security measures related to its certificate issuance, governance and management processes. As part of that process, any weaknesses or vulnerabilities in its operations will be identified so that corrective action can be taken to mitigate risks.

This proactive approach helps safeguard the CA's infrastructure, data, and operations, reducing the likelihood of security breaches, fraud, or non-compliance.

6. Encouraged Continuous Improvement

WebTrust assessments also involve evaluating the CA's operations against established criteria, which can help identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, security, and customer service. By participating in the WebTrust program, CAs can establish a cycle of continuous improvement that sees them regularly evaluate and enhance their processes, ensuring they stay up-to-date with evolving industry standards and customer expectations.

WebTrust Assessment Options

While these specific advantages may vary depending on the CA's business model, industry, and customer base, overall, a WebTrust assessment provides a robust framework for CAs to enhance their credibility, competitiveness, security, and compliance practices.

Should you consider investing in WebTrust, there are three assessments to consider:

Next Steps

In our experience, many private CAs are understaffed, lacking the policies, procedures, and segregated duties required for sensitive, highly secure operations. When we assess them against WebTrust best practices, they are often surprised at the substantial risk pervaded by the lack of controls within their critical infrastructures and secure internal processing.

But that’s why these WebTrust assessments can help—despite there being no obligation to undergo one as there is for public CAs, those that are private can benefit in the many aforementioned ways.

If your organization operates its own private certification authority and you’re interested in learning more about WebTrust and partnering with Schellman, contact us for a free initial consultation on whether one of these assessments is right for your infrastructure and its risk posture.