December 4, 2024 at 09:07AM
Shortening TLS certificate life cycles to as low as 30 days improves website security by reducing exposure to vulnerabilities. Organizations should automate certificate updates to minimize errors and operational disruptions, particularly benefiting SMBs. Continuous monitoring via Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) can also uncover unnoticed digital certificates, enhancing overall risk management.
### Meeting Takeaways:
1. **Shortened TLS Certificate Lifespan**:
– Current TLS certificates have a lifespan of 398 days, but proposals from Google and Apple could reduce this to 100 days or even 47 days.
– Shorter lifespans aim to minimize vulnerability by decreasing the time during which a compromised certificate can be exploited.
2. **Operational Impact & Automation**:
– Organizations using automated systems (like SIEM and SOAR) for certificate management will face little operational change.
– Small to midsize businesses (SMBs) may already be benefiting from automated updates through service providers.
– Those managing certificates manually could face significant operational challenges, including increased error risk with the need for frequent updates.
3. **Importance of Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM)**:
– CLM can streamline the process of managing certificates, ensuring timely renewals and improving compliance.
– Automating updates with CLM helps reduce organizational liability and enhances visibility into all digital certificates in use.
4. **Identifying Shadow IT**:
– Shorter certificate lifecycles enable continuous scanning for certificate updates, potentially uncovering unauthorized applications and devices (shadow IT) that may have been overlooked.
– Regular monitoring can lead to the discovery of rogue applications operating on unreported virtual machines and other hardware.
5. **Funding for Automation**:
– The transition to shorter certificate lifecycles presents a critical opportunity for CISO engagement with the board to secure funding for automation solutions.
– The costs of inadequate certificate management can lead to service disruptions, making it imperative for organizations to invest in automated systems.
6. **Proactive Risk Management**:
– Enterprises are encouraged to adopt a proactive approach to digital certificate management, focusing on risk management rather than reactive compliance.
– Increased oversight from frequent certificate renewals can enhance visibility into security environments, although many CISOs may still lack awareness of all cloud-based applications requiring certificates.
### Next Steps:
– Evaluate and upgrade the certificate management processes, focusing on implementing or enhancing automation.
– Consider conducting an audit to identify any existing shadow IT that may require immediate attention.
– Facilitate discussions between IT and executive leadership to secure funding for necessary automation tools to mitigate risks associated with certificate management.