: As a root certificate, it is self-signed and resides at the top of the certificate hierarchy. It is used to sign "intermediate" certificates, which in turn sign the final end-entity software or website certificates. Why You Might Need the .cer File
Microsoft has already introduced newer roots, such as: microsoft root certificate authority 2011cer work
: It is used during the computer's startup sequence to ensure that only trusted firmware and bootloaders are executed. : As a root certificate, it is self-signed
The physical .cer file contains the needed to perform these cryptographic checks. It is used in several high-stakes scenarios: : As a root certificate
This root does not directly issue end-entity certificates (e.g., for websites or users). Instead, it signs one or more intermediate CAs (e.g., Microsoft RSA TLS CA 01 ).