What Happens When Your SSL Certificate Expires & How to Renew?

Why do SSL Certificates Expire?

Reason 1: Security Enhancement

There is a need to have SSL certificates expire to improve on the security that is provided. Eventually the cryptographic algorithms employed in SSL certificates are likely to become compromised through improvement in computational capability and development in the field of cryptology.

This is because expiration and renewal are a way of maintaining that the certificates only utilize the most secure algorithms currently available.

Furthermore, it is also dangerous because if the private key is stolen it can be used in decrypting secure communications. Shorter life spans bring into question how much destruction one can do with such a key.

Reason 2: Administrative Control

The use of expiration dates assists in retaining control of the certificates by the administrative authorities. As for SSL certificates, they authenticate that the holder of the certificate controls the domain.

The fact that SSL certificates require annual renewal means that the issuing CA can always check domain ownership and any other verification requirements.

This process aids in avoiding long term illegitimate use since certificates that don’t expire are more vulnerable to fraudsters in activities such as phishing or malicious uses among others.

Reason 3: Encouraging Best Practices

It means that expiration of the SSL certificate contributes to the compliance with the SSL best practices.

The Expiration feature enables organizations to force comprehensive renewal of certificates at well-defined intervals so that the certificate is always as optimal as possible in terms of configuration standards and safety features.

It also helps in maintaining compliance with regulations and standards, the existing, for instance, in CA/Browser Forum — which states the maximum allowance of SSL certificates’ validity period.

Also Read: SSL/TLS Certificate Lifespans Reduced To 47 Days By 2029 [CA/B Approved]

This uniformity contributes to keeping the internet secure as a necessary means of communication in the contemporary world.

Reason 4: Operational Reasons

From the operational point of view, the use of regular renewal intervals of digital certificates allows for better management of their lifecycle. It presents moments when they could review their security strategies and framework as well.

In addition, over a period incorporating technology changes, new standards and protocols (for instance, moving from SSL to TLS) demand new certificates.

The relative shortening of expiration with rewrite creates more favorable conditions for transition to more secure protocols.

Reason 5: Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

Expiration of SSL certificates also assists organizations in meeting the company’s legal and other necessary requirements such as regulatory compliance and standards.

These and other rules and norms, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), require the updates and renewals of security certificates on the regular basis to provide proper protection for the sensitive data.

These regulations make certain that organizations take positive measures to adopt up to date securities; and the periodic renewal of SSL certificates helps meet these requirements.

Security Risks of an Expired SSL Certificate

Data Exposure

The greatest danger associated with the expiry of SSL certificates is relevant to exposing important information.

It is an SSL/TLS certificate which ensures that any information that is passed between a user on their browser and the website’s server is encrypted and cannot be intercepted by anyone.

When a certificate expires, this form of encryption ends, and data including passwords, demographic information and transaction details are exposed to interception and theft.

This can result in fake accounts in his name, loss of his money and other nasty security compromises.

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks

An expired SSL certificate exposes the site for man-in-the-middle attack in which the attacker listens in to the response and alters every message between the user and the server.

If the connection does not have an SSL certificate, as it should be, then attackers can easily listen to the data transmitted and obtain the desired information or even inject their content in the line.

This can result in the compromising of the information and loss of its secured and private nature, thus incurring high risks in its security and privacy aspects.

Phishing Attacks

A damaged SSL certificate is a barrier to the trust users put into a website and hampers its working.

This is because hackers can easily provide domains that are resembling genuine ones, albeit not possessing a genuine SSL certificate.

Also Read: Phishing Vs Vishing – The Key Differences Explained

Those users who used to look for SSL indicators like a padlock or ‘https’ in the address bar, may be even being deceived if these signs are missing or give warnings.

This opens the door for users to be phished since they will innocently hand over sensitive information to a fraudulent entity.

Loss of Trust and Reputation

Whenever users come across various security notices such as expired SSL certificates, their confidence on the website is likely to plummet.

Present day browsers provide clear notifications when accessing such sites and recommend that the user does not go any further because it is unsafe.

This not only prevents the users from accessing the site but also puts a negative light on the website in general.

When user trust is eroded, one can expect negative long term effects such as high attrition rates, low customer loyalty and the ultimate stigma of a bad reputation.

Legal and Compliance Issues

Most industries are bound by legal and industry rules and regulations that address the need for secured communication for information that is sensitive.

For instance, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements state that cardholder data must be encrypted.

This simply means that when an organization’s SSL certificate has expired, it can easily bring non compliance of such regulations with penalties, fines and decertification.

This can have drastic consequences in companies especially in terms of financial and operational performance.

Steps to Renew an SSL Certificate

Generate CSR for Renewing Your SSL Certificate

The initial step toward a renewal of an SSL certificate is the generation of a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). CSR contains your domain name and your public key for the SSL that will be added to the SSL certificate.

You can generate a CSR using OpenSSL with the following command:

openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout yourdomain.key -out yourdomain.csr -subj "/C=US/ST=YourState/L=YourCity/O=YourOrganization/OU=YourDepartment/CN=yourdomain.com"

This command will generate a brand new Private key and CSR for the yourdomain. key and the yourdomain.csr.

You will have to enter your country, state, city, organization, organizational unit, and common name, which generally coincides with the name of your domain.

Sign in to the CheapSSLWeb Account

After obtaining the CSR, navigate to the CheapSSLWeb website and sign in to the account that you created. If one does not have an account, You have to register and Buy SSL Certificate. Enter your account credentials, then go to the SSL certificate renewal section.

Fill Out the Renewal Form

In the renewal section, you will be directed to complete a renewal form as well. This form will necessitate you to enter the CSR produced in the first process of evaluation.

Ensure that you have copied the contents of the CSR file and paste it in the right field that is applicable. Also, other information including your phone numbers, email, address, bank details among others, will also be required.

Complete the Vetting Process

You will be required to go through the vetting process after you have filled and submitted the renewal form.

Again, the vetting process will depend on the type of SSL certificate renewal you are conducting, whether it is for DV SSL, OV SSL or EV SSL.

In the case of DV certificates, perhaps you would only require validation of the domain through an email or DNS validation only. In case you choose the OV and/or EV certificates, there may be requirements for submitting identification and proof of your business.

Validation Process:

Domain Validated SSL Certificates Validation

Organization Validated SSL Certificates Validation

Extended Validated SSL Certificates Validation

Your Renewed SSL Certificate Will Be Issued

When you stay on the CheapSSLWeb server after passing the vetting process, your renewed SSL certificate will be issued.

You will receive a mail with .crt files to use and the other necessary .crt files to import when installing. Save these files and reroll the newly updated SSL certificate on your server.

Don’t forget to adjust the server file settings to ensure that it will utilize the new name for certificate files, and then be sure to restart your web server to make the changes take effect.

Conclusion

Our SSL certificate renewal services are simple to implement and guarantee tighter security for your site. Renew SSL Certificate now so you can continue to safeguard the personal information of those who visit your site with proven encryption.

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