Upcoming TLS Certificate Changes to Dramatically Increase Enterprise Workload, DigiCert Warns
A shift to 47-day public TLS certificates by 2029 will force enterprises to renew certificates more than eight times as often, potentially costing over $250,000 per incident due to failures, according to a DigiCert report.
The cybersecurity landscape is bracing for a significant operational shift as the industry moves towards a drastically shortened lifecycle for public TLS certificates. By 2029, organizations will be required to manage certificates with a maximum validity of just 47 days, a move intended to enhance security by reducing the window of opportunity for compromised certificates to be exploited. However, this accelerated cycle presents a substantial challenge for enterprises, as highlighted in DigiCert's recent Certificate Management Outlook report.
According to the report, this transition will dramatically increase the workload associated with certificate management. Enterprises will face the daunting task of renewing certificates more than eight times as frequently as they do under current longer lifecycles. This means a single certificate that might have been managed once a year or longer will now require attention multiple times within a 47-day period. The sheer volume of renewals alone represents a significant increase in administrative overhead.
Beyond just renewals, the frequency of domain validations will also skyrocket. DigiCert estimates that organizations will need to conduct domain validations approximately 40 times more often. Each validation process requires verification of control over the domain for which the certificate is being issued. This increased frequency means more resources, both human and automated, will need to be dedicated to ensuring these validations are completed accurately and efficiently.
The report underscores the potential financial ramifications of failing to adapt to this new reality. Certificate failures, which can occur due to missed renewals, validation errors, or misconfigurations, can lead to costly business outages. DigiCert estimates that such failures can inflict damages upwards of $250,000 per incident. These costs stem from lost productivity, service disruptions, reputational damage, and the potential loss of customer trust.
To mitigate these risks, DigiCert emphasizes the critical need for robust automation in certificate management processes. Manual handling of certificates at such a high frequency is prone to human error and is unlikely to scale effectively. Organizations must invest in or enhance their automated certificate lifecycle management (ACLM) solutions to handle the increased volume of renewals, validations, and deployments seamlessly.
The report surveyed IT and security professionals across various industries, revealing that many are already concerned about their current certificate management practices. The upcoming change to 47-day certificates is expected to exacerbate these concerns, pushing certificate management to the forefront of security priorities for many organizations. Proactive planning and investment in automation are therefore not just recommended but essential for maintaining operational continuity and security posture.
This accelerated certificate lifecycle is part of a broader industry trend towards reducing the trust window for digital identities and cryptographic keys. While the security benefits are clear – limiting the impact of compromised certificates – the operational burden on organizations is significant. The success of this transition will hinge on the ability of enterprises to adopt and effectively implement automated solutions that can manage this complex and rapidly evolving environment.