Digital certificate validation using untrusted data

Non-transitory computer-readable media including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to:

• receive, at a certificate authority authentication system, a request for a digital certificate, the request including a public key of a public-private key pair, an identification of a target certificate recipient, and untrusted certificate validation data;
• automatically initiate a communication link using the untrusted certificate validation data to generate verified untrusted certificate validation data;
• following, or concurrently with, the automatic initiation of the communication link, compare at least one of the untrusted certificate validation data or the verified untrusted certificate validation data with entity specific data obtained from a confirmation computing system to generate trusted certificate validation data;
• compare the trusted certificate validation data with the verified untrusted certificate validation data;
• based at least in part on an identification of a match between the confirmed certificate validation data and the verified untrusted certificate validation data, authenticate the target certificate recipient;
• and
• issue the requested digital certificate for the target certificate recipient.

A method for authenticating a target recipient for a digital certificate, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a certificate authority authentication system, a request for a digital certificate from the target recipient, the request including a public key of a public-private key pair, an identification of the target recipient, and untrusted certificate validation data, the untrusted certificate validation data including contact information associated with the target recipient;
• sending, from the certificate authority authentication system, a verification request message to the target recipient using the contact information of the untrusted certificate validation data, wherein the certificate authority authentication system sends the verification request before receiving confirmation of the untrusted certificate validation data from a confirmation computing system;
• and
• receiving, at the certificate authority authentication system, a response to the verification request message and generating, based on the response, verified untrusted certificate validation data.