In brief: With SSL/TLS lifespan changes ahead, it’s crucial to understand their impact on your security posture. Explore 3 common problems and the role of certificate management.
An SSL certificate is a digital credential that verifies your website’s identity and establishes an encrypted connection between server and client. Despite the legacy term, SSL has been replaced by the more secure Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol – but “SSL certificate” remains the industry shorthand.
So, what is an SSL certificate really for? Beyond just encryption, it enforces data integrity, enables authentication, and plays a critical role in securing web transactions.
For organizations, it’s a key pillar of digital trust – ensuring users, partners, and systems can safely interact across the internet.
But now, there’s a major shift ahead. The CA/Browser Forum, which sets global standards for digital certificates, has voted to significantly shorten SSL/TLS certificate lifespans.
That means:
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200-day maximum by 2026
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100-day maximum by 2027
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Just 47 days by 2029
This move adds pressure on IT and security teams to automate renewals, tighten certificate management, and avoid costly outages. The days of set-it-and-forget-it certificates are ending. The good news? You still have time to adapt – but not forever.
Now’s the time to prepare.
What Is SSL? A Brief History
Netscape developed SSL in the 1990s to encrypt and secure communications over the Internet. It took several years for the security protocol to work effectively. While Netscape was working to improve SSL, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) developed TLS.
By 2020, SSL was completely deprecated in all versions, and TLS became the standard protocol for securing Internet communications, even though people still use the term “SSL.”
How SSL Works
SSL creates a secure transport layer connection between two endpoints: the server and the client. This connection is usually between a website server and a client’s browser, or a mail server and the client’s email application (think Outlook).
There are two separate SSL protocols: the handshake protocol and the record protocol. The handshake protocol is used to establish sessions. The client and server authenticate each other by sending a series of messages back and forth. The record protocol isolates each connection and uses a shared key to secure communication for the rest of the session.
Public Key Infrastructure and SSL
Public key infrastructure (PKI) and SSL have a close relationship. PKI manages security through encryption and governs digital certificates.
The best way to think of PKI is as a digital Department of Motor Vehicles. The PKI makes decisions about assigning identities to a certificate. An SSL certificate is like a driver’s license; it contains information about the owner and it has an expiration date.
SSL Validation
Validation refers to the ownership and authenticity of an SSL certificate. There are three types of SSL certificate validation:
- Domain-validated
- Organization-validated
- Extended validation
Domain-Validated SSL Certificates
Domain-validated SSL certificates refer to the simplest level of validation. The only thing you need to do to obtain this type of validation is to prove you own the domain, which is typically performed using simple mechanisms like DNS record checks.
Organization-Validated SSL Certificates
This level of validation is more rigorous than domain-validated certificates. The Certificate Authority, a trusted third party that issues end-user keys and manages their lifecycle, contacts the organization requesting the certificate directly to confirm its identity before issuing it.
Extended Validation
This is the most rigorous form of SSL certificate validation. The organization requesting the certificate undergoes a comprehensive background check to ensure it’s legitimate and trustworthy.
Benefits of SSL Certificates
SSL certificates offer the following benefits:
- Encrypting sensitive data
- Verifying website ownership
- Improving SEO ranking
- Compliance with security regulations
Encrypting Sensitive Data
One of the benefits of using SSL certificates is that they encrypt sensitive data.
Your customers might be using your website to make purchases. They don’t want their credit card information falling into the wrong hands. An SSL certificate gives them peace of mind that their information will stay safe because it prevents threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks (MitM).
MitM attacks take place when a bad actor intercepts information intended for a particular target. The bad actor may set up a fake site and dupe visitors into submitting sensitive information, not realizing it’s going to the wrong place. The attacker uses that information to create a proxied connection to the intended site, which is returned to the unsuspecting user.
SSL certificates prevent MitM attacks by verifying the identity of domain name owners.
Verifying Site Ownership
SSL certificates serve to validate a site’s ownership. A certificate authority (CA) issues SSL certificates to organizations after verifying their identity and domain ownership.
CAs require different proofs of identity based on the level of validation requested. For domain-validated certificates, the CA checks that the applicant simply has access and control over the domain. For organization-validated certificates, the CA checks the organization’s identity against government records and requires additional documentation. Extended Validation certificates place additional, more thorough requirements on requesters beyond what’s required for OV certificates.
Improving SEO Ranking
Back in 2014, Google announced it would use HTTPS as a ranking signal for websites. The search engine giant prioritizes sites with SSL certificates in its rankings.
There’s anecdotal evidence that having an SSL certificate will improve click-through rates (the rate at which someone clicks on a link). Users want to be on a site that won’t compromise their safety.
Compliance with Security Regulations
Several regulations require organizations to protect their users’ sensitive data. SSL certificates help you manage those requirements.
SSL encrypts data so you can fulfill your regulatory obligations for PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and a host of other laws and standards.
Managing SSL Certificates
If you’ve ever searched “what is an SSL certificate,” you’ve probably come across basic definitions: it’s a digital certificate that encrypts traffic and proves a website’s identity. But what’s often missing is the reality of managing those certificates – and how that’s rapidly changing.
SSL/TLS certificates used to be a once-a-year concern. But not anymore. With certificate lifespans shrinking to just 47 days by 2029, manual tracking and renewal isn’t just inefficient, it’s a liability. Most teams rely on dozens or even hundreds of certificates across environments. If one slips through the cracks, it can lead to outages, security risks, or compliance failures.
That’s where certificate management comes in. Here are some common SSL certificate issues and how certificate management can solve them:
- Certificate expiration
- Multiple SSL certificates
- Lack of visibility
Problem #1: Certificate Expiration
SSL certificates don’t last forever. And now they’re expiring faster than ever. Miss a renewal, and your website or application could go down, users could lose trust, and your security posture could take a hit.
Solution: Certificate Management Tracks Expiration Dates
An SSL certificate management solution tracks the expiration dates of all SSL certificates, so you know when they’re about to expire. You’re not scrambling to replace one or renew it, because you’ll have plenty of notice.
Problem #2: Multiple SSL Certificates
Sometimes organizations will use multiple SSL certificates for a single domain. In many cases, it’s because the certificate is about to expire, and the organization doesn’t want to leave the domain unprotected. It means one more thing to maintain, taking your team’s attention away from work that drives strategic goals.
Solution: SSL Certificate Management to Simplify Maintenance
Implementing an SSL certificate management solution means that using multiple SSL certificates for a single domain becomes a thing of the past. This tool automates the maintenance process, so certificates are properly provisioned at the right time.
Problem #3: A Lack of Visibility
As SSL certificates grow, so too does the problem of visibility. You don’t know how many certificates are on the verge of expiring or when. You also don’t know how many certificates you’re managing.
Solution: SSL Certificate Management to Automate Discovery
One of the benefits of SSL certificate management is that it automates SSL certificate discovery in the enterprise. It creates an accurate record of certificates so you can avoid expensive, potentially harmful outages.
Your Next Steps
SSL certificates do more than protect sensitive information – they are a foundational layer of digital trust. But as certificate lifespans shrink to just 47 days and post-quantum cryptography approaches, it’s no longer enough to simply deploy SSL/TLS certificates – you must manage them with speed, flexibility, and crypto-agility in mind.
Whether you’re building your program or scaling to meet new demands, Keyfactor Command helps you achieve your goals. In fact, our latest updates make certificate management easier for everyone, with better collaboration tools for teams and faster, simpler enrollment options for less technical users.
Have any questions about how to future-proof your security? Our team at Keyfactor is here to help you stay agile and future-ready.
