> Answers about PKI Zero to Hero: the cost, the game, accounts, privacy, children, accuracy, classroom and company use, and the Verified Pass. Source: https://pkizerotohero.com/faq/ · Last reviewed: 2026-10-20 # Frequently asked questions Last reviewed 20 October 2026 Short answers to the questions people ask most about PKI Zero to Hero; if yours is missing, [ask us](https://pkizerotohero.com/contact/). **Who this page is for:** everyone. Each answer links to the page with the full story. ## What is PKI Zero to Hero? A website that teaches PKI (public key infrastructure): how certificates, keys and certificate authorities make the internet’s trust work. It has a handbook, a crash course, browser tools, error pages and a game whose first levels are playable now. See [About](https://pkizerotohero.com/about/). ## What does it cost? Learning is free: every game level, handbook chapter, course lesson, tool and error page, with no ads. We earn money by selling proof (verified credentials), team seats for organisations, and goodwill from supporters. Never the learning itself. ## Can I play the game? Yes, in early access. The Royal Exam and Levels 1 and 2 are playable now in your browser, on desktop and phone: [play the game](https://pkizerotohero.com/play/game/). The other levels are in development and will be released soon. [Notify me about new levels](mailto:info@pkizerotohero.com?subject=Notify%20me%20when%20PKI%20Zero%20to%20Hero%20opens), or see [the game page](https://pkizerotohero.com/play/). ## Do I need an account? No. There are no accounts on the site today, and you will never need one to learn or to play. Accounts will arrive later, for people who want to keep progress on several devices, buy a Verified Pass, support the project or join a team. Accounts will be for people aged 13 and over. ## Do you track me? Only if you say yes. When you first visit, a banner asks whether we may use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages help people. Choose “No thanks” (or ignore the banner) and no analytics cookies are set and nothing is sent to Google. You can change your mind at any time with “Cookie settings” at the bottom of every page. There are never ads, tracking pixels or social-media plugins. Your theme choice (light or dark) is stored only in your own browser. Our hosting provider processes technical data such as IP addresses to deliver the pages, and we do not use it to track you. The [privacy policy](https://pkizerotohero.com/legal/privacy/) has the details. ## Who is it for? Complete beginners (including teenagers), developers, IT operations and platform engineers, security and PKI experts, senior managers and teachers. Each finds a path on [Pick your path](https://pkizerotohero.com/start/). ## Where should I start? - **New to all of this:** the [crash course](https://pkizerotohero.com/course/), lessons 1 to 3. - **Fighting an error message:** the [error pages](https://pkizerotohero.com/errors/). - **Running servers:** [What’s changing in PKI](https://pkizerotohero.com/changes/). - **Leading a team:** [PKI for leaders in 10 minutes](https://pkizerotohero.com/leaders/). - **Teaching:** [For teachers](https://pkizerotohero.com/teachers/). ## Is it suitable for children? The reading material is written for ages 12 and up, ideally with a parent or teacher nearby to help with the harder parts. The game is designed so that all ages can play it. There are no ads and no purchases inside the game. Accounts, when they come, will be for people aged 13 and over; younger players can play everything without one. ## How accurate is it? We check every technical claim against its primary source: the RFCs, the CA/Browser Forum’s requirements, NIST, the browsers’ root-program policies, vendor documentation and EU law. Dates and numbers come from one list of dated facts, each with its source. An independent expert review is in progress, so the content is marked “Early edition” until it is complete. ## How is it written? With AI assistance. Drafts are written with the help of AI tools, then every claim is checked against the primary sources above, and an independent expert review is in progress. If you find a mistake, please tell us. ## How do I report a mistake? Use the “Report an error” link on any page: it opens the [contact form](https://pkizerotohero.com/contact/?topic=content-error) with the page filled in. Or email [info@pkizerotohero.com](mailto:info@pkizerotohero.com?subject=Error%20report) with the page and what is wrong. A link to the source that shows the correct answer helps a lot. ## How do I contact you? Use the [contact form](https://pkizerotohero.com/contact/) or email [info@pkizerotohero.com](mailto:info@pkizerotohero.com). We answer by email. ## Can I use it in class? Yes. You may show it, print it and hand it out, as long as you name the source (“PKI Zero to Hero, pkizerotohero.com”) and do not sell it. [For teachers](https://pkizerotohero.com/teachers/) has a ready-made 45-minute lesson plan and a worksheet. ## Can my company use it? Yes. Your people can read, learn and play here, and you are welcome to link to any page from your intranet or training plan. Copying our material into your own courses or documents, or using it in paid training, needs our permission first. For seats, verified credentials and a completion report, see [teams](https://pkizerotohero.com/teams/) (coming soon). ## What is the Verified Pass? A one-time €29 purchase, available later, with accounts. It gives you verified credentials for each act of the game and for the crash course, plus a real X.509 Certificate of Completion from our certificate authority, with verify pages, LinkedIn support and PDFs. You do not need it to learn. See [the Verified Pass](https://pkizerotohero.com/verified/). ## Is the certificate a real X.509 certificate? Yes. In the game’s final level you create your own key pair and certificate request in your browser. With a Verified Pass, our certificate authority signs a real X.509 certificate for it, and anyone can check it on its verify page. Players without a pass get a real X.509 certificate too, signed by a practice CA in their own browser that nobody else trusts. That difference is the final lesson about trust. ## Is it an accreditation or a professional certification? No. A credential or certificate from PKI Zero to Hero means you passed the game’s or the course’s checks. We do not check identity, and it is not an accreditation, a qualification or a professional certification. ## What do the tools do with my certificate? Nothing leaves your browser. The tools decode and check certificates, chains and certificate requests on your own device, and nothing you paste is sent to us or to anyone else. Certificates and certificate requests contain no secrets, but they can reveal internal names, so it is good that they stay on your device. ## Should I ever paste a private key? No. Never paste a private key into any website, including this one. None of our tools needs one. If a private key has been exposed, treat it as compromised: replace the key and have its certificate revoked. ## Who is behind it? Duyutech BV, a Belgian private limited company based in Lochristi. The company details are in the [legal notice](https://pkizerotohero.com/legal/notice/). ## How do you make money without ads? From the [Verified Pass](https://pkizerotohero.com/verified/), [team seats](https://pkizerotohero.com/teams/) and [supporters](https://pkizerotohero.com/support/), and later perhaps one sponsor that gets no say over content. We never sell or share personal data. ## How often is the content updated? [What’s changing in PKI](https://pkizerotohero.com/changes/) is reviewed every quarter and whenever a big change is announced. Every page shows the date it was last reviewed. ## Can I link to or quote the site? Yes, please link to any page. Short quotes with a link back to the page are fine. For anything longer, or for republishing, ask us first at [info@pkizerotohero.com](mailto:info@pkizerotohero.com). Journalists can use the [press kit](https://pkizerotohero.com/press/).