The Future of SSL Certificate Management: Adapting to Shortened Renewal Periods

The industry is evolving yet again. With the CA/Browser Forum’s recent decision to reduce the maximum SSL/TLS certificate lifecycle to 47 days by 2029, the way organizations manage their certificates is going to change significantly—and sooner than most realize. This update builds on the trend of strengthening web security by minimizing risks associated with stale or compromised certificates.

It’s no surprise that this shift has sparked questions from our existing customers, such as:

“As we are using Imperva SSL, which has an expiry of 6 months. We did however give the delegation to Imperva for auto-renewal. Will the new changes impact Imperva SSL also? Or will it remain unaffected since we use auto-renewal?”

It’s a great question—and speaks to the primary concern many enterprises and SMBs are grappling with: How do these changes affect operational workflows and reliability?

At Imperva, we understand these concerns and have already taken steps to ensure our solutions fully support customers as the industry transitions to shorter certificate lifecycles. Spoiler alert: If you’re using Imperva’s automated SSL renewal capabilities, you’re already one step ahead.

Let’s dive into what this shortened lifecycle means, why you don’t have to worry, and how Imperva has you covered.

This industry shifts toward reducing certificate lifespans to 47 days—an emerging best practice championed by Apple—it’s clear this change is designed to strengthen security. By shortening the validity period of certificates, organizations can minimize the risk window for potential compromise such as private key leakage or previous domain ownership and ultimately enhance their overall security posture. This tighter lifecycle directly challenges IT teams to be more vigilant about certificate management while reducing the chances of breaches from stale or improperly issued certificates. When you boil it down – organizations will be forced to adopt automation, change the way they work or purchase specific tools that handle this task directly. At Imperva however, we are already prepared to own and shoulder this burden for organizations as they adapt to this new standard – keeping you compliant and removing any future stress from your plate.

Why 47 Days Is a Security Win (and a Management Challenge)

This evolving approach aligns closely with the increasing reliance on automation in certificate management, which has become essential for navigating frequent renewals.

However, while the security advantages of shorter certificate lifespans are undeniable such as ownership validation, CNAME record simplicity and future ease of configuration; organizations may face operational hurdles. Manually managing certificate renewals in such a compressed timeframe would be a daunting task for any IT team, and juggling varying expiration dates could increase the risk of outages due to expired certificates, human error in missing domains or even assigning the wrong certificate to a site – not to mention the potential for service disruptions.

Imperva’s Proven Ownership to Support the Entire Certificate Lifecycle

Automation is the key to solving these challenges, and it’s where Imperva has already streamlined SSL management. Enter Imperva’s Enterprise SSL Manager—an innovative approach designed to simplify SSL management and enhance efficiency during site onboarding and certificate renewals. For SMBs especially, this translates to fewer resources spent on certificate management and greater confidence in staying compliant with emerging security standards while avoiding time-consuming outages or errors.

For enterprises that demand enterprise-grade solutions, Imperva offers Imperva’s Fast Certificate Renewal ensuring even the most complex certificate environments can scale securely and seamlessly.

The Path Forward with Imperva

While the idea of such a short validity period may feel daunting, Imperva has already built the solutions needed to make this transition secure, simple, and scalable.
Managing the rapid turnover of hundreds (or even thousands) of certificates is impossible to handle manually. Automated processes allow Imperva customers to go hands free with no need to handle certificates themselves. Imperva can provide, validate, issue and renew certificates without any manual intervention. For instance, onboarding a validated domain automatically applies coverage to new subdomains, ensuring compliance and protection.

The Power of Automation and Site Certificate Delegation

With Imperva, you can automate and delegate the entire SSL site certificate lifecycle to Imperva. This automated feature can typically complete validation within 30 minutes to 2 hours, allowing you to focus on other critical areas of your business rather than getting bogged down by SSL processes.

Key Benefits of Imperva’s Solution

1. Automatic Ownership Verification: Imperva takes over the validation of your domain and its subdomains. This means that as you onboard new domains, SSL certificates are issued with minimal intervention on your part and Imperva takes ownership of ensuring you comply with the latest standards and CAB forum requirements.
2. CNAME Record Simplicity: Once you configure a unique CNAME record in your DNS settings, all associated subdomains automatically inherit this configuration, streamlining the validation process across your account. For example, if you have a primary domain like example.com, its subdomains such as a.example.com can be validated effortlessly under the same record.
3. Capacity and Limitations: The automated validation supports up to 5 levels of subdomains—an ideal setup for enterprises managing extensive domain portfolios.
4. Ease of Configuration: With the option to enable this feature either at the account level or for specific subaccounts, setting up automatic validation is straightforward. You can also configure this via the Cloud Security Console or through the Imperva API, catering to a variety of user needs.
5. Future-Proofing Your Certificates: To ensure continued revalidation for future certificate renewals, maintaining the relevant CNAME records is crucial. This proactive approach guarantees your domains remain compliant and secure.

Best Practices for Effective Enterprise SSL Management

• Centralize SSL Management: Keep all SSL certificates in a single location within your security console. This organization helps in tracking renewals and ownership more efficiently.
• Regularly Review Domain List: Regular audits of your domain delegation lists ensure that all domains are accounted for and up to date, preventing lapses in security
• Stay Informed on Changes: As web protocols evolve, keeping abreast of changes in SSL certification practices will help ensure that your domain validation strategies remain effective.
• Automate Where Possible: Leverage automation in your SSL management practices, as seen with Imperva, to save time and reduce the risk of human error.

In conclusion, Imperva’s Automated Fast Certificate Renewal not only simplifies the SSL certificate management process and keeps you ahead of any future certificate lifespan reductions but also enhances the overall security posture of your web properties. By adopting such innovative solutions, businesses can focus on growth while ensuring a secure online presence.