PKI Consortium blog
Posts by tag Identity
CA Security Council (CASC) 2019 Predictions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
December 6, 2018 by
Bruce Morton
(Entrust),
Chris Bailey
(Entrust),
Jay Schiavo
(Entrust)
Apple
Attack
CASC
Chrome
DV
Encryption
EV
Firefox
Google
Identity
IETF
Malware
Microsoft
Phishing
SSL/TLS
TLS 1.0
TLS 1.2
TLS 1.3
As the legendary coach of the NY Yankees Yogi Berra allegedly said, “It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” But we’re going to try.
Here are the CA Security Council (CASC) 2019 Predictions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The Good Prediction: By the end of 2019, over 90% of the world’s http traffic will be secured over SSL/TLS
Encryption boosts user security and privacy, and the combined efforts of browsers and Certification Authorities (CAs) over the past few years have moved us rapidly to a world approaching 100% encryption.
CASC Announces Launch of London Protocol to Improve Identity Assurance and Minimize Phishing on Identity Websites
June 27, 2018 by
CA Security Council
Attack
CA/Browser Forum
CASC
DV
EV
Identity
OV
Phishing
SSL/TLS
LONDON – (June 27, 2018) – The Certificate Authority Security Council (CASC), an advocacy group committed to the advancement of the security of websites and online transactions, announced at the CA/Browser Forum event in London the launch of the London Protocol – an initiative to improve identity assurance and minimize the possibility of phishing activity on websites encrypted with organization validated (OV) and extended validation (EV) certificates, which contain organization identity information (Identity Certificates).
The London Protocol
June 27, 2018 by
CA Security Council
DV
EV
Identity
OV
Phishing
The objective of The London Protocol is to improve identity assurance and minimize the possibility of phishing activity on websites encrypted by OV (organization validated) and EV (extended validation) certificates (together referred to as “Identity Websites”). The London Protocol reinforces the distinction between Identity Websites making them even more secure for users than websites encrypted by DV (domain validated) certificates. That security feature can then be utilized by others for their own security purposes, including informing users as to the type of website they are visiting and use by antiphishing engines and browser filters in their security algorithms.
How Browser Security Indicators Can Protect You from Phishing
June 6, 2017 by
Chris Bailey
(Entrust),
Kirk Hall
(Entrust)
Chrome
DV
Encryption
EV
Google
Identity
Phishing
SSL/TLS
The media is full of stories about how phishing sites are moving rapidly to encryption using anonymous, free DV certificates they use to imitate login pages for popular sites, such as paypal.com.
As noted in the article PayPal Phishing Certificates Far More Prevalent than Previously Thought, more than 14,000 DV SSL certificates have been issued to PayPal phishing sites since the start of 2016. Based on a random sample, 96.
The Latest on Certification Authority Authorization
March 21, 2017 by
Jeremy Rowley
Attack
CA/Browser Forum
CAA
Encryption
Identity
OV
PKI
Policy
Qualified
Things are certainly heating up at the CA/Browser with exciting proposals surrounding inclusion of the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) as a subjectAltName otherName, new validation methods, and debates over how the CAB Forum will continue operating. One of these newly passed ballots requires all CAs to check and process a domain name’s DNS Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) resource record prior to issuing a digital certificate.
Background RFC 6844 created CAA records as a method for domain owners to specify a policy on which certificate authorities are authorized to issue certificates for the associated domain.
2017 – Looking Back, Moving Forward
January 13, 2017 by
Bruce Morton
(Entrust)
3DES
Apple
Attack
CA/Browser Forum
CAA
Chrome
Code Signing
Encryption
Firefox
Google
Identity
Malware
MITM
Policy
Revocation
RSA
SSL 3.0
SSL/TLS
TLS 1.3
TSA
Vulnerability
Looking Back at 2016 Fortunately, 2016 was not a year full of SSL/TLS vulnerabilities. Although some researchers did prove old cryptography algorithms should be put out to pasture. The year showed the end of public-trusted SHA-1 SSL/TLS certificates. It also showed more transparency should be considered due to issues discovered with a few certification authorities (CAs). The great news is HTTPS is no longer the minority — after 20 years, connections using HTTPS has surpassed HTTP.
Leading Certificate Authorities and Microsoft Introduce New Standards to Protect Consumers Online
December 8, 2016 by
CA Security Council
CASC
Code Signing
FIPS
HSM
Identity
Malware
Microsoft
Revocation
SSL/TLS
TSA
San Francisco –December 8, 2016 – the Certificate Authority Security Council (CASC), an advocacy group committed to the advancement web security, today announced the Code Signing Working Group has released new Minimum Requirements for Code Signing for use by all Certificate Authorities (CA). These requirements represent the first-ever standardized code signing guidelines. Code signing is the method of using a certificate-based digital signature to sign executables and scripts in order to verify the author’s identity and ensure that the code has not been changed or corrupted.
Why Is Certificate Expiration Necessary?
October 19, 2016 by
Bruce Morton
(Entrust)
Attack
CA/Browser Forum
EV
Hash Function
Identity
OCSP
Policy
RSA
SSL/TLS
Vulnerability
The Long Life Certificate – Why It Doesn’t Exist Why is certificate expiration even necessary? Wouldn’t it be better if I could just buy a certificate with a long life before expiration? It would really simplify certificate management if it could be installed and forgotten. Simple, no management required, just file-and-forget.
Imagine, I’ve been in business, starting say 10 to 15 years ago. I roll out my web pages and secure them with a 20-year-validity SSL certificate.
Always-On SSL
September 30, 2016 by
Rick Andrews, Ben Wilson
Encryption
Firefox
Google
Identity
Microsoft
Mixed Content
OpenSSL
Policy
Qualified
SSL/TLS
There is no doubt that content owners and publishers have a duty to encourage trust and the confidence during internet usage by adopting security best practices. If a customer believes that their data and identity are safe and protected, they are more inclined to continue their online transactions. Industry best practices for website protection should be vendor-neutral, easy to implement, and globally accessible. Websites should take all the reasonable steps possible to adopt best practices in secure design and implementation, and this includes using Always-On SSL across the entire website.
Stay Safe This Tax Season by Looking for SSL/TLS Certificates
March 30, 2016 by
Ben Wilson
Encryption
EV
Identity
SSL/TLS
It’s tax filing season again, and you need to be aware of scams that tried to steal your sensitive information or even your tax refund. During 2015 the IRS blocked over 4.3 million suspicious returns and more than 1.4 million confirmed identity theft returns. https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS,-States-and-Tax-Industry-Combat-Identity-Theft-and-Refund-Fraud-on-Many-Fronts.
Phishing emails, account compromise, identity theft, and fake websites are a few approaches used by cyber criminals this time of year. Good computer security hygiene will usually protect you from someone else filing a tax return in your name.