Why do digital certificates expire

And, what about the control of companies and domains? Over time, there are mergers, acquisitions and name changes. In fact, many small companies never live beyond one year. Certificates with long lifecycles could be misleading when identity or domain control changes.

To help ensure that all certificates are using the latest security standards and in fact controlled by the current certificate owner, we expire them. New certificates are issued using the latest security standards, processes and a re-confirmation of domain control and organization identity. Shorter life certificates also promote the creation of new keys. Frequent key changes help mitigate compromises associated with them.

When you request a certificate, select a validity period that meets your security policy and count on your reliable CA to provide expiration notices to help you to avoid security lapses. Partnering with a CA maximizes security and minimizes administrative tasks associated with certificate management, bringing you close to a file-and-forget experience throughout the certificate lifecycle.

Bruce Morton is a pioneering figure in the PKI and digital certificate industry. He currently serves as Director for Certificate Services at Entrust, where he has been employed since Government websites are independently relied upon by the public and today are seen as prime targets for cyber-attacks; therefore it is important to ensure that critical national infrastructures retain adequate management systems to eliminate risk, whilst encouraging website visitors to react appropriately to potential vulnerabilities.

Website Owner: Reduction in trust as the site becomes unsecure Decline in sales and revenue with increased shopping basket abandonments Corporate brand and reputation adversely affected putting the business at risk Website User: Warning error messages displayed by browsers when visiting the site Personal information at risk from man-in-the-middle attacks Individual susceptible to fraud and identity theft How a Browser Displays Expired SSL Certificates Browser - Google Chrome Browser - Mozilla Firefox Browser - Internet Explorer As you can see the warning messages vary from browser to browser and these inconsistencies may cause end users to simply click through the error messages without fully reading or understanding the actual message itself.

After 30 days, the holder must resubmit all information and go through the verification process before Go Daddy will renew the certificate and issue a new key See References 1. Other certification authorities, such as GlobalSign, require the holder to renew prior to the expiration date or file an application for a new certificate.

If renewing an expired digital certificate within an acceptable window of time, the process can be complete as a normal renewal. Access your user account and follow renewal instructions.

If the certification authority does not allow renewal of expired certificates, you will receive instructions to complete a new application.

The biggest disadvantages to allowing a certificate to expire are potential loss of business and the time it will take to receive a new certificate. Visitors to the website receive a message via a pop-up box stating that verification cannot be completed and their information may not be secure. While visitors have the option to continue regardless of potential security risks, many will choose not to.

When using an expired certificate, you risk your encryption and mutual authentication. As a result, both your website and users are susceptible to attacks and viruses. For example, a hacker can take advantage of a website with an expired SSL certificate and create a fake website identical to it. As mentioned earlier, when users visit your website with an expired SSL certificate, there will be a warning sign displayed that blocks them from the site. If your users or customers go on your site, only to find themselves blocked out by security warnings, your traffic will drop, and you could lose business.

As your presence on the internet plays a large role in reputation, ensuring that your SSL certificate is up to date is vital in attracting and maintaining relationships with your customers.

Having and maintaining SSL certificates is vital in preserving authenticity and trust on your website. In addition to protecting your information, SSL helps to establish positive customer relationships. Understanding certificate expiration and how to fix expired certificates is important in maintaining a positive reputation for your brand and business. Venafi Cloud manages and protects certificates.

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