What does "subject" mean in certificate?

certificate pki x509
George2 picture George2 · Mar 16, 2009 · Viewed 102.1k times · Source

The related link is this MSDN article.

I am always confused about the term "subject", for example, sk option "Specifies the subject's key container location", sr option "Specifies the subject's certificate store location". What exactly does subject mean here? The certificate owner? The certificate issuer (e.g. the root CA which issues the certificate)? Or something else?

Answer

J Hunt picture J Hunt · Mar 16, 2009

The Subject, in security, is the thing being secured. In this case it could be a persons email or a website or a machine.

If we take the example of an email, say my email, then the subject key container would be the protected location containing my private key.

The certificate store usually refers to Microsoft certificate store which contains certificates form trusted roots, machines on the network, people etc. In my case the subjects certificate store would be the place, within this store, holding my certificates.

If you are working within a microsoft domain then the subject name will invariably hold the Distinguished Name, of the subject, which is how the domain references the subject and holds it in its directory. e.g. CN=Mark Sutton, OU=Developers, O=Mycompany C=UK

To look at your certificates on a microsoft machine:-

Log in as you run>mmc Select File>add/remove snap-in and select certificates then select my user account click Finish then close then ok. Look in the personal area of the store.

In the other areas of the store you will see the other trusted certificates used to validate signatures etc.

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