What is a Domain Validation (DV) certificate, and how does it compare to a general purpose certificate?

A Domain Validation (DV) certificate is designed primarily to confirm that the entity requesting the certificate has control over the domain being secured. The process involves a basic check to verify that the applicant can receive emails at the domain or has access to the DNS settings, ensuring they have control over it. This certificate type is relatively quick to obtain since it does not require extensive verification of the entity's legal identity.

When comparing it to a general purpose certificate, it's important to recognize that a DV certificate falls under the broader category of certificates, which includes various types, such as Organization Validation (OV) and Extended Validation (EV) certificates. The key difference lies in the level of validation required; while a general purpose certificate may refer to various types, a DV specifically verifies domain ownership without delving into the identity of the organization behind that domain.

This makes option A correct because both a DV certificate and a general purpose certificate function to verify domain ownership, but the DV certificate does so with a much lower level of verification regarding the applicant's identity. Thus, it allows for quicker issuance while still providing a basic level of assurance for secure communications over the internet.