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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Intermediate

Client Certificate

Certificate issued to a user or device to authenticate it to a server or network.

Definition

Client certificates enable strong, phishing-resistant authentication in mutual TLS, 802.1X EAP-TLS, VPNs, and smart card logon. Device certificates are usually deployed by MDM or auto-enrollment with private keys protected by the TPM. They support zero trust device identity.

Example

Laptops auto-enroll for machine certificates and present them to RADIUS for EAP-TLS Wi-Fi access.

Exam tip

EAP-TLS requires both server and client certificates; PEAP requires only a server certificate.

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