Two municipal court case-management systems must authenticate each other with mutual TLS. What PKI capability is most essential for that design?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Mutual TLS is a handshake where both sides show valid IDs, not just the server. That only works if a trusted CA family issues and can revoke those IDs. Without hierarchy and lifecycle management, mTLS is theater.
Full Explanation
Mutual TLS requires each endpoint to present a certificate the other trusts, which depends on a sound PKI: trusted roots or intermediates, controlled issuance, path validation, and revocation via CRL or OCSP. Shared secrets or network location checks alone do not provide cryptographic peer authentication. Proper CA hierarchy and certificate management are the PKI foundation for court-to-court mTLS.