Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) Certification Practice Test

Which tool is typically used to create a digital certificate?

1. Certutil.exe

2. Makecert.exe

3. Keytool

4. OpenSSL

The correct answer is: Makecert.exe

Makecert.exe is a tool specifically designed for creating self-signed digital certificates. It is part of the Windows SDK and allows users to generate certificates for testing purposes and for development scenarios, particularly when working with applications that require SSL/TLS or code-signing certificates. The tool can create certificates in a variety of formats, making it versatile for different use cases in development environments. In addition to creating self-signed certificates, Makecert.exe is commonly utilized for setting up a certificate authority (CA) in a lab environment, where it can be paired with other tools to manage certificates within a limited scope. This makes it the most appropriate choice for this context. To provide further context, while Certutil.exe is a command-line utility used for Trusted Certificate Authorities, managing certificates, or displaying information about certificates, it is not primarily focused on creating new certificates. Keytool is a utility in Java that manages keystores and certificates but is specific to Java environments. OpenSSL is widely used for creating and managing certificates, particularly in UNIX-like environments, but is not the built-in tool for Windows applications like Makecert.exe. Therefore, Makecert.exe stands out as the best choice for creating a digital certificate in this scenario.