Quick Answer
The answer is the Certificate Authority (CA). The CA is the correct choice because it serves as the trusted root in a public key infrastructure, responsible for the full lifecycle of digital certificates—issuing them by signing with its private key and revoking them by publishing Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) or through the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP). On the CISSP exam, this question tests your understanding of PKI components like the CA, RA (Registration Authority), and VA (Validation Authority), often appearing in domain 3 (Security Architecture and Engineering). A common trap is confusing the RA’s role in verifying identity with the CA’s authority to actually issue or revoke certificates. Remember: the CA is the “issuer and revoker,” while the RA is the “verifier.” A useful memory tip is to think of the CA as the central bank of trust—it alone prints and destroys the currency of certificates.
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security architecture and engineering. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
In a public key infrastructure (PKI), which component is responsible for issuing and revoking digital certificates?
Registration Authority (RA)
Why wrong: RA verifies identity but does not issue or revoke certificates.
Certificate Authority (CA)
Correct. CA issues and revokes certificates in a PKI.
Certificate Revocation List (CRL)
Why wrong: CRL is a list of revoked certificates, not an issuing authority.
Validation Authority (VA)
Why wrong: VA provides certificate status checks via OCSP but does not issue.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Certificate Authority (CA)
The Certificate Authority (CA) is the trusted entity in a PKI that issues digital certificates by signing them with its private key, and it also revokes certificates by publishing Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) or using the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP). The CA is the authoritative source for certificate lifecycle management, including issuance, renewal, and revocation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Registration Authority (RA)
Why it's wrong here
RA verifies identity but does not issue or revoke certificates.
Certificate Authority (CA)
Why this is correct
Correct. CA issues and revokes certificates in a PKI.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Certificate Revocation List (CRL)
Why it's wrong here
CRL is a list of revoked certificates, not an issuing authority.
Validation Authority (VA)
Why it's wrong here
VA provides certificate status checks via OCSP but does not issue.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing the Registration Authority (RA) with the Certificate Authority (CA), as the RA performs identity verification but candidates often mistakenly think it also issues certificates.
Detailed technical explanation
The CA's private key is used to sign each certificate, creating a binding between the subject's public key and identity; revocation is achieved by adding the certificate's serial number to the CRL, which is signed by the CA to prevent tampering. In practice, the CA may also support delta CRLs and OCSP stapling to improve revocation checking performance, and the CA's certificate is self-signed or cross-signed to establish trust in the hierarchy.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Architecture and Engineering — This question tests Security Architecture and Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Certificate Authority (CA) — The Certificate Authority (CA) is the trusted entity in a PKI that issues digital certificates by signing them with its private key, and it also revokes certificates by publishing Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) or using the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP). The CA is the authoritative source for certificate lifecycle management, including issuance, renewal, and revocation.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Match each PKI component to its function.
mediumWhy : PKI components work together to manage digital certificates.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISSP exam.
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