[Info-vax] Certificates

[gah4]

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 1:12:17 PM UTC-7, Gary Sparkes wrote:

(snip)

> All internet SSL certificates are worth is identifying the remote host 
> (assuming no private key compromise) and encrypting traffic 
> between the two. They imply or do nothing else.

They are needed to avoid "man in the middle" attacks.

Especially on public WiFi nets, or even more, pretend public WiFi nets,
someone can pretend to be your back, and run an https server.
Then you connect to that server, which then decodes the message,
is it supplied the key.  Then it contacts your bank, and has it do what
you actually asked for.

I am not quite sure how good they are at doing that by now.  
Best not to access your bank from public WiFi nets.