Trust Anchor
Trust Anchor: An established point of trust (usually based on the authority of some person, office, or organization) from which an entity begins the…
Definition
An established point of trust (usually based on the authority of some person, office, or organization) from which an entity begins the validation of an authorized process or authorized (signed) package. A "trust anchor" is sometimes defined as just a public key used for different purposes (e.g., validating a certification authority (CA), validating a signed software package or key, validating the process (or person) loading the signed software or key).
Alternative Definitions
- Definition 2
A public key and the name of a certification authority that is used to validate the first certificate in a sequence of certificates. The trust anchor’s public key is used to verify the signature on a certificate issued by a trust anchor certification authority. The security of the validation process depends upon the authenticity and integrity of the trust anchor. Trust anchors are often distributed as self-signed certificates. SOURCE: SP 800-57 Part 1