Binding

Process of associating two related elements of information.
SOURCE: SP 800-32

An acknowledgement by a trusted third party that associates an entity’s identity with its public key. This may take place through (1) a certification authority’s generation of a public key certificate, (2) a security officer’s verification of an entity’s credentials and placement of the entity’s public key and identifier in a secure database, or (3) an analogous method.
SOURCE: SP 800-21

Process of associating a specific communications terminal with a specific cryptographic key or associating two related elements of information.
SOURCE: CNSSI-4009