Vendors Vote To Radically Slash Website Certificate Duration To Days

Vendors have decided to reduce the validity of SSL certificates from one year to just 47 days, primarily driven by Apple’s push for shorter certificate lifespans. Previously, certificates lasted up to five years, but continuous pressure from Apple has led to this drastic change. Critics argue that this move creates unnecessary complexity, as organizations will now need to renew certificates more frequently, increasing administrative overhead.

For many, this shift may push them toward free, automated solutions like Let’s Encrypt, which already provides short-lived certificates (90 days) with automated renewal.

You Should Know:

1. Automating SSL Certificate Renewal with Let’s Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated Certificate Authority (CA) that simplifies certificate management. Here’s how to set it up:

Install Certbot (Let’s Encrypt Client)

sudo apt update 
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx  For Nginx 
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache  For Apache

Obtain a Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Auto-Renewal Setup

Let’s Encrypt certificates expire every 90 days. Automate renewal with:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run  Test renewal 
sudo systemctl enable certbot.timer  Enable auto-renewal

2. Checking Certificate Expiry

To manually check when a website’s SSL certificate expires:

openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -dates

3. Forcing Certificate Renewal Early

If you suspect an issue, force renewal:

sudo certbot renew --force-renewal

4. Windows: Checking Certificates via PowerShell

Get-ChildItem -Path Cert:\LocalMachine\My | Where-Object { $_.Subject -like "yourdomain" } | Select-Object NotAfter, Subject

5. Revoking a Certificate

If a private key is compromised:

sudo certbot revoke --cert-path /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain/cert.pem

What Undercode Say:

This move by Apple and CA vendors will force enterprises to adopt automation or face constant manual renewals. While shorter certificate lifespans theoretically improve security by reducing the window for misuse, they also increase operational burdens.

Key Takeaways:

Let’s Encrypt is now more viable than ever.
Automation is critical—manual renewals every 47 days are unsustainable.
Monitor expiry closely—use scripts to alert before expiration.
Windows admins must adapt with PowerShell or third-party tools.

Expected Output:

A shift toward automated PKI management and increased reliance on free CAs like Let’s Encrypt. Organizations ignoring this change will face frequent outages due to expired certificates.

Reference:

Vendors vote to radically slash website certificate duration (Computerworld)

References:

Reported By: Garettm Vendors – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
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