As a cybersecurity practitioner, you have probably observed something odd in recent years: SSL certificate validity periods have dropped dramatically. You may have created an SSL certificate five years ago and left it valid for five years without having to pay any attention. Right now, it can only be issued for one year.
These developments are compiled on a timeline below:
Before 2015, SSL certificates held five years of validity (yes, it is true).
2015–2018: The term was dropped to three years maximum.
2018–2020: The longest term dropped further to two years.
2020–Present: At 398 days—just over 13 months—right now.
There is yet to be an ending here. SSL certificate validity will probably narrow even further over time. Shortening the SSL certificates has its roots in the necessity to establish better security around the internet. The older the length of the security, the longer it may be broken; thus, the usage of SSL certificates was limited in trustworthiness.
Why are the SSL validity periods getting shorter?
You are not alone if you are thinking, yet another thing to keep cycle of whether it is months. Over time, though, this change serves a simpler use in which reducing the duration of the SSL certificates becomes crucial given the demand for trust problems on the Internet. That makes trust important. Should a certificate be stolen, its validity time is still restricted. This brief validity helps to produce fewer security weaknesses.
Maintaining Current in Security Measures
Cybersecurity is an active field that is not fixed in nature. An encryption technique could have been thought to be unbreakable five years ago, but today, it can be outdated. Shorter valid SSL certificate terms really help to force businesses to raise their security standards more regularly. Companies cannot, quite simply, “set and forget” their SSL certificates for five years. SSL certificates must be generated more regularly in line with industry standards and fresh advancements in cryptographic technologies.
Identity Verification Changing Points
SSL certificates are evidence of website validity as much as they are a means of data encryption. In five years of publication, the technology scene is likely to change significantly. Now, with fresh and regularly updated policies, the regular need for an organisation to confirm its identity reduces the possibility of certificate abuse as well as fraud and identity theft. This translates for companies as with all this, what is the outcome? Positive outcomes would essentially balance the bad aspects somewhat equally.
The Negatives:
The 5/3/2 years certificate validity renewal mechanism is gone, which forces more frequent modifications/changes.
Another unwanted change is the chance of expiration; if renewal dates are missed, the website will go down, which might affect everyone that is connected to the internet via any mode of device.
Certificates with 200-day expiry dates could eventually become standard, or even shorter, like 90 days or 45 days, could be the norm.
Companies can gain by:
✅ Automation – Create flawless renewals and deployment.
Programmes for IT training covering SSL maintenance and compliance.
✅ Monitoring the sector; changes happen overnight without any warning.
In the end, everyone has a role to play. Although renewing an SSL certificate might be difficult and tiresome, regular renewals greatly boost cybersecurity. The game aims to reduce networking attacks and hazards while maintaining the safety of the website safe.
Certificate Lifetime Management (CLM) solutions for simple SSL renewals and deployment of certificates are offered at Netrust. Tell us if you require a worry-free approach for your certificate management; we would be pleased to help. Contact us at https://www.netrust.net/contact-us/ today.
Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest happenings/updates.