On April 11, 2025, an important decision was made by the CA/Browser Forum, a prominent industry group responsible for setting standards for digital certificates. This group voted to amend the TLS Baseline Requirements, a set of guidelines for ensuring secure communications over networks, to shorten the lifespan of TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificates and the reuse of CA-validated information in these certificates. By March 15, 2029, the validity of these certificates will be reduced to just 47 days.
These changes are significant and cannot be viewed as mere technical adjustments to be handled by IT security teams alone. Instead, they necessitate a fundamental reconsideration of how businesses manage their IT operations to maintain uninterrupted service, ensure availability, and enhance security. With shorter certificate lifespans, companies will need to prioritize automation in managing the lifecycle of these digital certificates as a core aspect of their security strategy. For organizations that still rely on manual processes to handle certificate issuance, this change could pose substantial challenges. However, for those who automate their certificate lifecycle management, such as utilizing tools like HashiCorp Vault, this transition becomes significantly more manageable.
This report explores the risks associated with poor certificate management and discusses how adopting HashiCorp Vault can significantly mitigate these risks.
Major Outages Caused by Certificate Mismanagement
Failure to properly invest in automating certificate lifecycles can expose businesses to considerable risks, leading to major operational disruptions. Here are some notable examples of such incidents:
February 2020:
Microsoft Teams, a widely used communication platform, suffered a multi-hour outage due to an expired authentication certificate. This prevented users from logging in and disrupted business operations for many organizations. Source
April 2024:
SpaceX’s Starlink service experienced a global outage due to an expired ground station certificate. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, highlighted this issue as an "inexcusable" single point of failure. Source
September 2024:
An IT outage affected Alaska Airlines, grounding all flights in Seattle for several hours. The root cause was identified as a certificate issue that impacted multiple systems, pointing to potential flaws in their management and deployment procedures. Source
What Are the Signs of Mismanagement?
The above incidents, alongside numerous other certificate-related outages, highlight key signs of poor certificate management:
- Configuration errors during deployment can lead to operational failures.
- Lack of visibility and tracking often result in missed certificate expirations, indicating a flawed manual inventory system.
- Insufficient access controls compromise the security of private keys.
- Delays in manual interventions even when certificate expiration is imminent can cause unexpected downtime.
How HashiCorp Vault Can Help
To address the challenges posed by shorter certificate lifespans, HashiCorp Vault offers a robust solution for automating the management process. This not only reduces the risk of outages but also minimizes the chances of human error.
Central Source of Truth:
HashiCorp Vault acts as a centralized, trusted source for all internal certificates. Unlike traditional methods where certificates are sourced from various places, Vault provides a secure and streamlined way to manage certificates. Learn moreAutomatic Certificate Generation:
When new applications or services require certificates, Vault can automatically generate them with specified lifespans and private keys. This automation eliminates the need for developers to manually create certificates, reducing the risk of mistakes.Automatic Certificate Renewals:
Vault agents can automatically renew internal certificates before they expire, ensuring continuous service availability. This is akin to setting up automatic bill payments to avoid missed deadlines.By centralizing and automating the entire certificate lifecycle—from generation to renewal and revocation—Vault simplifies the process while maintaining high security and scalability. This approach significantly reduces manual workload and associated risks.
At first glance, the upcoming 47-day certificate lifecycle requirement may seem like a daunting challenge for large enterprises. However, by leveraging Vault’s Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) capabilities, which include a strong authentication model and extensive automation features, organizations can navigate this new landscape with greater ease and confidence. Explore Vault PKI and discover how some of the world’s largest organizations successfully implement this solution. Case Studies
In conclusion, as the digital landscape evolves, so must the strategies and tools employed to secure it. By adopting advanced solutions like HashiCorp Vault, enterprises can not only meet new regulatory requirements but also enhance their operational resilience and security posture.
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