Which scenario is a common use case for certificate pinning?

Certificate pinning is a security mechanism used to mitigate the risks associated with Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks by ensuring that a client only accepts a specific certificate or a set of certificates when establishing a secure connection. This strategy significantly enhances the security of applications by confirming that the server's certificate matches the expected certificate pinned within the client application itself.

The scenario involving mobile operating systems like iOS and Android is a common use case for certificate pinning because these platforms are often targets for various types of network attacks. By using certificate pinning, mobile applications can effectively enforce security by preventing attackers from impersonating a trusted server, even if they are able to obtain a legitimate certificate from a Certificate Authority. This is particularly critical for applications that handle sensitive user data, making this choice the most relevant and recognized use case for certificate pinning.

On the other hand, while enterprise applications on private networks and browser-based applications can implement similar security practices, they are not as widely associated with the specific implementation of certificate pinning as mobile applications are. Open-source applications may vary greatly in their security practices and are not inherently bound to use certificate pinning without specific implementation. Therefore, the context provided in the correct choice highlights the prevalent use of certificate pinning in