Different Classes of Digital Signature Certificates

Different Classes of Digital Signature Certificates?

There are mainly three classes of Digital Signature Certificates, Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. These DSC are used for different purposes.

Class 1 Certificate:

Class 1 certificates shall be issued to individuals/private subscribers. These certificates will confirm that user's name (or alias) and E-mail address form an unambiguous subject within the Certifying Authorities database.

Class 2 Certificate:

These certificates will be issued for both business personnel and private individuals use. These certificates will confirm that the information in the application provided by the subscriber does not conflict with the information in well-recognized consumer databases

Class 3 Certificate:

This certificate will be issued to individuals as well as organizations. As these are high assurance certificates, primarily intended for e-commerce applications, they shall be issued to individuals only on their personal (physical) appearance before the Certifying Authorities.

In addition to four classes of certificates mentioned above, the Certifying Authority may issue more classes of Public Key Certificates, but these must be explicitly defined including the purpose for which each class is used and the verification methods underlying the issuance of the certificate.