Centralized database with provisions to prevent PKI key and security certificate duplication

In a system comprising a plurality of commercially distinct entities producing or managing a plurality of devices, an apparatus for preventing use of invalid digital certificates, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising processor instructions comprising processor instructions for:
• receiving, in a validation service from a requesting entity, a request to evaluate a digital certificate having a public key, the digital certificate uniquely assigned to one of the plurality of devices by an associated one of the commercially distinct entities, the request comprising the digital certificate;
• determining an evaluation state of the digital certificate at least in part from a database having a plurality of public keys currently assigned to the plurality of devices and previously received by the validation service, the evaluation state having a uniqueness state, the determining of the evaluation state comprising:
• determining if the received public key duplicates of one of the plurality of public keys of the database;
• determining that the uniqueness state is duplicative if the received public key is a duplicate of one of the plurality of public keys of the database;
• determining that the uniqueness state is unique if the received public key is not a duplicate of one of the plurality of public keys of the database;
• and
• determining a disposition of the digital certificate according to a disposition policy associated with the determined evaluation state and the device;
• and
• effecting the determined disposition of the digital certificate, comprising:
• if the uniqueness state is unique, adding a record derived from the digital certificate to the database;
• and
• if the uniqueness state is duplicative, transmitting a message to the requesting entity indicating that the digital certificate is not unique according to the determined uniqueness state and the disposition policy.