San Francisco, CA. – February 14, 2013 – Leading global certificate authorities announced the creation of the Certificate Authority Security Council (CASC), an advocacy group, committed to the exploration and promotion of best practices that advance the security of websites and online transactions. Through public education, collaboration, and advocacy, the CASC strives to improve understanding of critical policies and their potential impact on the internet infrastructure. Members of the CASC include Comodo, DigiCert, Entrust, GlobalSign, Go Daddy, Symantec, and Trend Micro.
World’s leading Certificate Authorities join together to form the Certificate Authority Security Council
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Amid increasing threats from sophisticated hacker networks, global cybercriminal organizations and state-sponsored espionage, the CASC is coming together to promote advanced security standards, encourage best practices, and ultimately improve the deployment of a continually trustworthy SSL ecosystem. In addition, the CASC supports the efforts of the CA/Browser Forum and other standards-setting bodies in their important work, and will continue to help develop reasonable and practical enhancements that improve trusted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and certificate authority (CA) operations.
Coinciding with its launch, the CASC is announcing the first of a planned series of educational and advocacy efforts related to best practices in SSL deployment with a focus on the importance of online certificate status checking and revocation. Specifically, the CASC will highlight the benefits of online certificate status protocol (OCSP) stapling for Web server administrators, software vendors, browser developers, and end-users through blog posts, conference presentations and other resources. For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/V01LhG
The backbone of Internet security for nearly two decades, the SSL protocol and certificates from publicly trusted CAs remain the most proven, reliable and scalable method to protect Internet transactions. The CASC is focused on promoting tightened global standards to mitigate high-profile security incidents, and improving research and collaboration that will continue to establish the security-robustness of the SSL ecosystem.
Quotes
CASC Quote
- “SSL remains today the most widely deployed and successful cryptography system in the world,” said Dean Coclin, Steering Committee, Certificate Authority Security Council. “As a unified group of the world’s leading SSL providers, we’re collaborating on matters of highest priority, while also recognizing the value of previous and recent work to continually evolve the standards, and create an industry that understands the issues involved and is committed to making the necessary enhancements.”
Industry Influencer
- “The CASC is a group of global trust anchors, who understand the necessity for continually evolving security that meets the needs of web sites and their users,” said Yngve Pettersen, Independent Researcher. “The creation of the CASC is a step in the right direction to making practical, scalable improvements to the current SSL/TLS ecosystem while promoting security standards and better education among users.”
CA/Browser Forum
- “The CASC members are working actively with browsers and other parties to further improve existing methods that effectively balance performance and security while providing a trusted experience for all internet users,” said Ben Wilson, Chair, CA/Browser Forum. “These collaborative efforts have led to important steps forward that help improve security practices, self-regulation, and globalize the adoption and implementation of stricter, more universal standards. We look forward to working with the CASC to set quality standards that raise the bar for everyone.”
Additional Resources
- CASC Website
- CASC Blog
- CASC Blog Post: CAs Unite
- CASC Blog Post: OCSP Stapling Improved Performance & Security a Win-Win
- CASC Initiative: Certificate Revocation and OCSP Stapling
- SSL Basics
- OCSP and CRL Performance Report
- CA/Browser Forum Baseline Requirements
- CA/Browser Forum Network Security Guidelines
- AlwaysON SSL
- Advancing Internet Security SlideShare Presentation
- SSL Configuration Checker
Connect with CASC
- Follow CASC on Twitter
- Join the CASC LinkedIn Group
- View Presentations on SlideShare
- Subscribe to CASC News RSS Feed
- Meet the Members of the CASC
- Visit CASC Website
About the CASC
The Certificate Authority Security Council is comprised of leading global Certificate Authorities that are committed to the exploration and promotion of best practices that advance trusted SSL deployment and CA operations as well as the security of the internet in general. While not a standards-setting organization, the CASC works collaboratively to improve understanding of critical policies and their potential impact on the internet infrastructure. More information is available at https://casecurity.org.
