Description: The ‘Untrusted Root’ refers to a root certificate that is not recognized as trustworthy by a system or application. In the context of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), root certificates are fundamental as they serve as the trust anchor for validating other digital certificates. When a root certificate is deemed untrusted, it can create security vulnerabilities, as systems cannot verify the authenticity of the certificates that rely on it. This can lead to identity spoofing attacks, where an attacker might present a fake certificate as if it were legitimate. Untrusted roots can arise for various reasons, such as certificate expiration, revocation by the certificate authority, or simply because the certificate is not included in the system’s trust store. Identifying and managing untrusted roots is crucial for maintaining the integrity and security of digital communications, as a system that trusts an untrusted certificate can be vulnerable to various cyber threats.
