How PKI Works: Encryption, Certificates & the TLS Handshake Explained

Every time you visit a secure website, check your bank balance, or install a software update, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is quietly doing the work of proving you're talking to who you think you are — and that nobody's reading your data along the way. In this video, we break down exactly how PKI works, in plain English, from the ground up. What we cover: Why your browser can trust a total stranger's website in milliseconds Asymmetric encryption: public keys, private keys, and the "mail slot" analogy How Certificate Authorities issue certificates and build a chain of trust The TLS handshake — what actually happens when you open a secure site Digital signatures and how they verify software updates, contracts, and emails Why PKI is the invisible trust layer behind banking, healthcare, and e-commerce The compliance frameworks that depend on strong PKI hygiene: CMMC, NIST SP 800-171/800-53, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001, and DORA How organizations build their own internal Certificate Authority (AD CS, OpenSSL, step-ca, EJBCA) Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 0:05 – Why this matters 0:21 – What is PKI? The core problem it solves 1:19 – Asymmetric encryption: public and private keys 2:19 – Certificate Authorities and the chain of trust 3:35 – The TLS handshake 4:59 – Digital signatures 5:49 – PKI as the trust layer for everyday transactions 6:02 – Compliance frameworks: CMMC, NIST, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, DORA 7:01 – Building your own internal Certificate Authority 7:53 – Closing thoughts At Custom Cybersecurity Solutions, this is the kind of infrastructure we help organizations build, audit, and defend every day. If you want to know whether your PKI is actually protecting you, reach out and let's find out together. 🔗 customcyber.com #PKI #Cybersecurity #CMMC #FedRAMP #NIST800171 #PublicKeyInfrastructure #InfoSec #DataSecurity #Encryption #ITSecurity #CyberCompliance #TLS #DigitalCertificates #ComplianceManagement #CyberSecurityAwareness