eID—Key Management, Security, and Design

eID key management

The eID card scheme provides an interesting example of a key management system supporting public-key cryptography. We will look at how the eID card scheme key management is supported, with a particular focus on the two phases in the certificate lifecycle identified earlier as being particularly challenging, namely certificate issuing and certificate revocation.

eID certificates

The eID card scheme key management is based on the closed certification model. It uses a certification hierarchy to provide a scalable approach to certificate issuing. This certification hierarchy is indicated in the illustration below.