These hazards make users more reluctant than ever to open their emails. This can be problematic from a branding perspective; those carefully designed marketing emails accomplish little if they're never opened in the first place.

This is where BIMI comes into play. Simultaneously strengthening security and branding, BIMI delivers a visible trust signal supported by behind-the-scenes authentication. Inbox providers reward authenticated senders with display features, helping users more easily identify legitimate emails and engage with them.

What is BIMI?

The email specification commonly referred to as BIMI references Brand Indicators for Message Identification, a standard that allows organizations to display verified brand logos in supported inboxes such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and more. BIMI creates a structured method for linking authenticated emails with a brand’s validated visual identity, helping legitimate senders stand apart from impersonators and spoofers.

Collectively introduced by well-known email clients, BIMI builds on existing authentication standards to add a visible trust signal in the inbox. As a result, recipients recognize and trust verified senders, leading to all-around improvements in security and brand awareness. 

How does BIMI improve trust?

BIMI fuels trust through the power of visual recognition. Following successful authentication, the BIMI protocol ensures that logos are prominently displayed within email inboxes. This provides an instant marker of credibility. Recipients gain higher confidence that logo-equipped emails originate from authenticated senders.

To ensure that these logos are legitimate, BIMI relies on mark certificates that validate the relationship between a brand, its logo, and the email sending domain. Different types of mark certificates are available depending on the level of protection needed and the trademark status of the logo.

With a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), a trusted certificate authority confirms both the logo and the email sending domain, with validation tied to a registered trademark. This level of assurance is well suited for organizations that require strong brand authentication.

For organizations without a registered trademark, a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) offers an alternative path to BIMI. CMCs verify that a logo has been in consistent use for at least one year and, like VMCs, require enforced email authentication policies to ensure only authenticated senders can display their logos.

Role in brand visibility

BIMI's security implications should be top of mind, but this is also worth pursuing from a branding perspective. Simply put, logos stand out within crowded email inboxes, but these cannot be displayed without BIMI. Taking the steps to implement BIMI can cut through the noise of today's jam-packed inbox, attracting attention through visual differentiation and, over time, through the power of repeated exposures.

How does BIMI work?

BIMI relies on a complex series of authentication standards that can be identified based on their commonly used acronyms: DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, to name a few. These work in tandem to help ensure that fraudulent or spoofed emails do not reach recipients' inboxes, a necessary element for BIMI effectiveness.

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Domain owners use the SPF protocol to clarify which mail servers are permitted to send emails. Receiving servers then check SPF records to verify legitimacy. SPF forms the basis of domain-centered email authentication and is a cybersecurity must, only allowing authorized individuals or organizations to send on behalf of domains.
• DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): As a digital signature, DKIM relies on public key cryptography for authenticating individual emails. One of the core goals of DKIM is to prevent content from being altered in transit so there's no question as to whether messaging originated from the domain in question.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): If emails fail authentication checks, DMARC determines what happens next. Building on SPF and DKIM, this establishes policies for failed checks. Through DMARC, domain owners gain greater control over the handling of unauthenticated messages. This can have a profound impact on email deliverability.
• DNS (Domain Name System) record: BIMI involves a specific type of DNS record. In general, DNS records are meant to link internet protocol (IP) addresses and domain names.

Authentication prerequisites

Several stringent standards must be met before BIMI can be enabled. These standards are essential security controls to meet today's cyber challenges and they ensure that BIMI fulfills core functions such as improving trust and preventing phishing. Once SPF and DKIM validation are established, you must then set your DMARC policies to quarantine or reject. A quarantine policy sends suspicious messages to the spam or junk folder, while a reject policy blocks them entirely, preventing delivery. Finally, domain alignment ensures that the domain highlighted in the 'from' address reflects the domain authenticated via SPF and DKIM.

Generating BIMI DNS record

Enabling BIMI involves publishing DNS TXT records that point to desired brand logos. These records should be published at default._bimi.[yourdomain.com], which provides a standardized location in which BIMI information can be found and verified. The TXT record should reference the BIMI version and should also include the HTTPS link to the brand logo file, which should be available in the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG P/S) format to ensure full compatibility.

BIMI logo verification with VMCs and CMCs

Logo verification is central to the BIMI process. As mentioned previously, there are two types of mark certificates available, typically selected based on whether a logo is trademarked. Brands with registered trademarks will ideally obtain Verified Mark Certificates, as these provide a higher level of assurance and are accepted in more mailbox providers.

Common Mark Certificates are also a strong solution, particularly for SMBs or organizations without trademarked logos, as they validate logo use and enable BIMI logo display in supported inboxes.

Inbox display process

A series of steps must occur before verified logos can be displayed in email inboxes. This begins as sending domains authenticate emails via DMARC. As providers receive emails, strict checks confirm that the appropriate BIMI records are in the DNS. This makes it possible for email clients to retrieve verified SVG-Tiny logos via HTTPS. These can be displayed in the inbox previews once authentication and verification criteria are met.

What are the requirements to implement BIMI?

Most organizations can take advantage of BIMI, but certain authentication and verification requirements must be met first. These include:

• DMARC enforcement: DMARC policies must be strategically set before BIMI can go into effect. Remember, p=quarantine ensures that suspicious emails are sent to the spam folder, while p=reject blocks problematic emails outright.
• SVG-Tiny logo: The Scalable Vector Graphics offers a streamlined version that promises to load quickly and render consistently. For BIMI purposes, this logo should be properly formatted and must remain free of unsupported elements.
• TXT record: Highlighting the location of the verified SVG-Tiny logo, the TXT record should be correctly published, with the BIMI selector ensuring that email providers can easily locate and securely display the logo in question.
• VMC or CMC: BIMI can be supported by VMC or CMC certificates. Both validate logo ownership, but VMCs call for trademarked logos, which are not required for CMCs.

Benefits of BIMI for organizations

BIMI offers far-reaching benefits, empowering organizations to strengthen both email security and branding through the power of verified logos. It represents just one of many email security practices worth implementing, but it can be one of the most impactful because it offers clear benefits beyond phishing defense. Advantages include:

Brand trust and reputation advantages

BIMI helps reduce phishing and impersonation risks by ensuring only authenticated senders can display verified brand logos in the inbox. By building on DMARC enforcement and other authentication standards, BIMI makes it easier for users to trust logo-displaying emails and avoid interacting with suspicious messages.

Marketing and engagement advantages

Amid the ongoing relevance of email marketing, BIMI helps brands overcome some of the most frustrating marketing roadblocks: low email open rates that stem from limited user trust. BIMI improves trust through visual recognition which can contribute to increased engagement and open rates.

Users who take that crucial first step and open emails get the opportunity to actually engage with content, and, as they continue to open emails with logos over time, they become more loyal to the brands featured in these emails.

Bring BIMI into your email protection strategy with Sectigo

Sectigo is a leading certificate authority offering Verified Mark Certificates and Common Mark Certificates that support BIMI and help brands display trusted, verified logos in supported inboxes. These certificates provide the validation needed to reinforce authenticity and help protect your brand from impersonation.

Whether you’re just getting started with email authentication or you’re ready to display your logo in inboxes worldwide, Sectigo can supply the certificate solutions you need. Learn more about how VMCs and CMCs help strengthen trust with every email.

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Business email security best practices for 2025: S/MIME & more

When these attacks are successful, the results can be truly devastating: Crucial services may become unavailable, and the community's highly sensitive data could be exposed. Ransomware and man-in-the-middle attacks remain alarming possibilities. With such high stakes, it's clear that government agencies must prioritize cybersecurity resilience while taking advantage of resources that bolster security and modernize governance.

A key tool in this effort to strengthen cyber resilience is automated certificate lifecycle management. This article highlights forward-thinking cybersecurity best practices for 2026 and beyond, showing how automation can help state and local governments build stronger, more resilient systems.

Rising cyber risks in 2026

State and local governments have long been uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks due to structural limitations and under-resourced IT environments. In 2026, these risks are intensifying as public sector networks continue to expand their digital footprint. Hybrid work models and increased use of remote access tools are rapidly expanding the attack surface, exposing the limitations of antiquated and manual systems.

Without automation and strong identity controls, digital certificate, credential, and device sprawl are becoming unmanageable.

This sprawl is further complicated by the upcoming reduction in certificate validity periods. By 2029, SSL/TLS certificates will have a lifespan of only 47 days. This will pose significant challenges for IT teams including maintaining timely renewals and meeting strict compliance requirements.

The reality of these risks was underscored in July 2025, when Microsoft SharePoint servers were targeted in attacks affecting more than 90 state and local entities. Although a spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Energy clarifies that "attackers were quickly identified, and the impact was minimal,” and that no sensitive information was leaked, the what-ifs of this situation still raise alarm and indicate the need for robust information security measures that better address a wider range of vulnerabilities.

What cybersecurity challenges do state and local governments face today?

Modernization efforts across the public sector have led many agencies to adopt cloud platforms, hybrid infrastructures, and remote access tools. While these updates offer clear benefits, they also introduce new risks when layered over outdated legacy systems. The resulting mix creates operational silos and fragmented oversight that make it difficult to maintain consistent security standards.

An ongoing reliance on manual systems adds to this complexity. IT teams are often forced to track expirations, respond to outages, and manage certificate renewals without centralized visibility or automation. This reactive approach consumes valuable time and increases the risk of costly downtime. Forrester research shows that outages tied to expired certificates can cost organizations thousands of dollars per minute, a risk few public institutions can afford.

Meanwhile, evolving compliance mandates from both state and federal regulators continue to raise the bar. From encryption standards in Ohio to breach notification timelines in New York and Maryland, agencies must now navigate a patchwork of security requirements. At the federal level, the executive order Sustaining Select Efforts to Strengthen the Nation’s Cybersecurity reinforces the urgency of implementing encryption protocols and Zero Trust principles across government systems.

Meeting these challenges requires a shift toward proactive cybersecurity, supported by automation, improved visibility, and alignment with best-practice frameworks.

What are the cybersecurity best practices for state and local governments in 2026?

Amid escalating cybersecurity risks and still-limited resources, state and local governments must work smarter, not harder. In 2026, this means moving away from ad-hoc, manual processes and focusing on Zero Trust, automation, and full lifecycle control. The heightened demands of the coming year will force state and local government agencies to prioritize digital resilience, moving beyond reactive security practices and making the most of automated certificate lifecycle management.

Assess risks regularly

Weaknesses cannot be properly addressed until they are identified and understood. This means thoroughly examining local government cybersecurity posture to reveal gaps that could potentially be exploited. Focus on critical infrastructure such as servers, email systems, applications that serve community members, and remote access channels. Include regular reviews of network and endpoint security to find vulnerabilities before they’re exploited.

Build a Zero Trust foundation

As threats increasingly originate from within trusted networks, traditional perimeter defenses are no longer enough. Zero Trust is now the gold standard for digital security. This does away with inherent trust, instead suggesting that any user, device, or application could be potentially compromised.

That’s why identity-based access controls are now the cornerstone of modern cybersecurity, with every identity verified before access is granted. Digital certificates play an important role in identity verification, enforcing least-privilege permissions that limit users to the level of access needed to perform critical tasks.

Strengthen visibility with automated CLM

Automated certificate lifecycle management will be crucial as certificate lifespans continue to shrink. This provides agencies their best chance of keeping up with the accelerating pace of renewals. With a centralized inventory of certificates, credentials, and endpoints, visibility improves across all systems. Automated certificate discovery enables a full inventory of assets so that they can be properly managed.

This effort extends to issuance, deployment, and even discovery, limiting the likelihood of gaps or outages. Offering easy-to-use dashboards, these systems replace confusing spreadsheets and manual tracking tools with automated, centralized lifecycle management. This will make it far easier to adapt to 47-day lifespans, for, depending on validation, automated deployments and renewals take a few short minutes to complete.

Secure cloud and hybrid environments

An increased reliance on cloud applications has sparked the need for extended protection to address a much larger attack surface. In addition to securing on-premises systems, today's state and local government agencies must also deal with cloud-hosted workloads and even Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Consistent encryption is key to maintaining trust across this vast digital environment. This is achieved not only through automation, but also, through strong certificate policies and continuous monitoring of remote access, mobile users, and third-party integrations.

Focus on compliance, resilience, and third-party risk

Compliance offers a valuable foundation to address cybersecurity challenges. Use established frameworks from authorities such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Center for Internet Security (CIS) to standardize security controls and bolster governance. Building redundancy and recovery plans ensures essential services can continue during an incident.

Keep in mind that high compliance expectations should also apply to third-party vendors, as these can introduce significant risks into otherwise well-protected systems. From IT managed service providers to payment processors, many vendors and contractors require vetting, but the added effort can improve overall resilience.

Modernize and secure legacy systems

Legacy systems are often the weakest link in government infrastructure, creating security gaps that attackers can easily exploit. These systems eventually need to be replaced, but this transition can feel overwhelming. Thankfully, it is possible to augment these solutions with contemporary tools that improve both security and performance.

Begin by highlighting outdated software or devices that no longer receive sufficient support. If certain legacy systems cannot yet be upgraded, they should at least be segmented or isolated to limit exposure. Systems linked to critical operations (such as finance or HR) may require priority upgrades.

Invest in cybersecurity awareness training and staffing

Human talent remains a critical part of any cybersecurity challenge, but even knowledgeable IT staff members may struggle to keep up with evolving standards and practices. Regular training and cybersecurity awareness programs are needed for administrators and contractors alike. Agencies should hold tabletop exercises and update incident response playbooks at least twice a year to keep teams sharp.

Training for IT and network teams should encompass cutting-edge threat detection and certificate management strategies. Prioritize active cybersecurity skill development with exercises and simulations that help staff put incident response strategies into action.
Training will only go so far if staffing needs remain unmet. Agencies that are already stretched thin may rely on grants or partnerships to expand cybersecurity headcount. Shared-service models across municipalities can also help pool resources and extend cybersecurity coverage more efficiently.

How automation supports long-term cybersecurity goals

Automation has become the only scalable way to manage the growing complexity of digital certificate lifecycles. As public SSL/TLS certificate lifespans shrink from 398 days to 47, manual processes quickly become unsustainable. Automated certificate lifecycle management platforms like Sectigo Certificate Manager help eliminate human error, reduce the administrative burden on IT teams, and prevent service outages caused by missed renewals or misconfigurations.

Looking ahead, automation plays a critical role in achieving crypto agility. With quantum computing on the horizon, organizations must prepare for a future in which classical cryptographic algorithms will no longer provide sufficient protection. Sectigo supports this transition through hybrid certificates and post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) solutions that combine traditional and quantum-resistant encryption methods. These innovations ensure that government agencies can begin migrating sensitive systems today while maintaining compatibility with current environments.

By automating certificate deployment, renewal, and replacement, and by preparing for the demands of the quantum era, state and local governments can protect sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and future-proof their cybersecurity strategies.

Maintain resilience in 2026 with Sectigo

Automation is critical for public agency cybersecurity. It’s key to maintaining uptime, improving compliance, and creating a secure pathway into the quantum era.

Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) offers opportunities for strengthening resilience in 2026 and beyond. This platform centralizes certificate visibility and automates the entire digital certificate lifecycle, helping agencies prevent outages and meet modern compliance demands. Get started with a demo or a free trial.

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Why automation is critical for 47-day certificates

When these systems are interrupted, the consequences can be severe: Sensitive information becomes even more vulnerable. If this is accessed, organizations could face eroding consumer trust along with considerable compliance challenges. Another risk? Major delays that ripple across the entire global supply chain.

Cyberattacks are rising across airlines, ports, and supply chain networks. Threat actors increasingly view transport and logistics as prime targets, exploiting even minor vulnerabilities to cause data leaks and major disruptions in airline operations, freight tracking, and more.

While there is no single strategy or solution for combating these attacks, digital certificate management has a critical role to play. This role will only grow as certificate validity periods shrink. The next big milestone: 47-day certificate lifespans, which are set to become the new standard in 2029.

Escalating cyber threats in transport & logistics

Cybercriminals cause devastation across many sectors, but their impact in the logistics space is especially alarming. They increasingly target critical infrastructure, using social engineering and legitimate administrative tools to infiltrate systems. Once inside, they can compromise everything from transit schedules to shipments.

These attacks can disrupt the supply chain, bringing critical operations to a halt. The ripple effects can be felt across the entire economy and throughout vulnerable communities, leading to far-reaching effects, including shortages, delays, and price increases.

These issues become far more likely when digital certificates, like SSL/TLS certificates, are allowed to expire. Outages from expired certificates create openings for hackers and can spark devastating consequences, with a single outage costing up to $9,000 per minute, or between $500,000 and $5 million total.

Example of a high-profile attack on a logistics system

This recent example reveals the extensive damage that threat actors can cause when critical digital safeguards, including but not limited to digital certificates, are not properly managed.

Scattered Spider

Attacker group Scattered Spider (UNC3944) has carried out campaigns targeting airlines and other transport operations, relying heavily on social engineering and identity compromise to infiltrate systems. This group poses significant risk to T&L operations. According to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), their tactics follow a ‘living-off-the-land (LoTL)’ approach, which leverages existing administrative tools and manipulated trust. This method can bypass many traditional security controls that organizations have long relied on.

This attack highlights a key vulnerability in many organizations: the human element. Systems that depend on manual processes, including manual certificate management, are more prone to mistakes and social engineering exploits. Without automation, even well-intentioned employees can inadvertently create openings for threat actors.

Why digital certificates matter during attacks

It takes a comprehensive security strategy to prevent and mitigate logistics-focused attacks. Digital certificates are a key component, delivering both encryption and authentication. Encryption helps protect sensitive information from interception, while authentication verifies that access is limited to trusted and authorized parties.

When SSL certificates expire or are mismanaged, recovery becomes more difficult. Certificate outages reduce resilience during high-pressure incidents and increase the risk of further compromise. Certificates therefore provide essential protection and help maintain continuity during incidents.

Automated certificate lifecycle management (CLM) helps to close common gaps and ensures certificates don’t become the weak link attackers exploit. By renewing and deploying certificates without human error, automated management prevents expired digital certificates from becoming the weakest points. This strengthens overall defenses and helps organizations maintain continuity if incidents do occur.

Automated certificate management solutions, like Sectigo Certificate Manager, provide the visibility and control needed to reduce security gaps and limit potential attacker movement within critical networks. These systems streamline every stage of the SSL lifecycle—from certificate issuance and deployment to renewal and beyond. They also support identity management, helping organizations advance toward zero-trust security models in which every interaction is verified.

What certificate management challenges do T&L operations face?

Transport and logistics organizations face many digital security challenges above and beyond the constant risk of cyberattack. These operations must maintain constant uptime to properly serve consumers and to avoid supply chain issues and bottlenecks. Their networks are inherently complex and increasingly interspersed, adding extra challenges to already complicated security initiatives.

While digital certificates provide a baseline of protection, these can easily fall short, especially for organizations that continue to rely on outdated manual management solutions.

Common challenges include:

High certificate volume across global networks

As operations expand and certificate validity periods shrink, organizations face growing certificate volume alongside an increasing rate of renewal. These challenges take place within vast networks that encompass numerous warehouses, carriers, and digital systems. With each extra channel or IoT device comes the need for expanded protection and the need to properly deploy and renew digital certificates in a timely manner.

Tracking expirations is already a challenge, and it will intensify as lifespans shrink. Certificate lifecycles will drop to 200 days in March 2026, 100 days in March 2027, and just 47 days by 2029. Without automation, keeping pace with this cycle will be nearly impossible.

Scalability strains on growing infrastructure

High certificate volumes are sparked, in part, by rapid digital scaling, with more devices, platforms, and integrations continually added. T&L organizations that opt for manual certificate management may struggle to scale their digital footprint because they encounter stubborn bottlenecks, or when they do attempt to scale up, they may suffer higher amounts of costly outages.

Without an automated CLM solution, already limited resources may grow strained, leaving organizations unable to fully take advantage of growth opportunities. 

Decentralized and complex environments

Sprawling T&L operations involve vast digital ecosystems that encompass a myriad of servers, platforms, and data centers. These environments may feature dramatically different security policies, which can be difficult to maintain.

Add differing certificate authorities or renewal strategies to the mix, and blind spots become much more likely. This lack of centralized visibility can leave organizations vulnerable to misconfigurations and other issues that may lead to unacceptable outages.

Budget pressures and competing priorities

The overhead attached to manual certificate management can be considerable; lengthy certificate deployment, renewal, and revocation processes require hands-on IT resources and may prevent team members from addressing other critical concerns. Lapses can prove even more costly, however, with downtime potentially prompting millions in losses.

In a sector defined by tight margins, there is little room for waste or errors that lead to outages. With competing priorities, certificate management often takes a backseat to other security concerns, compounding existing challenges and weakening the overall security posture of T&L organizations.

Leadership buy-in and awareness gaps

Leaders recognize the importance of digital certificates but may struggle to see the urgency of adopting automation. As certificate lifecycles shorten and threats increase, manual management quickly becomes unsustainable.

Some executives also underestimate the financial impact of downtime or the long-term labor associated with manual certificate management. Their buy-in is critical to implementing automated CLM solutions, especially in the context of upcoming concerns surrounding crypto agility and the quantum threat.

Why are 47-day certificates a breaking point?

Shorter certificate lifespans, aimed at addressing future threats including quantum computing, mark one of the most significant changes in digital trust management in decades. For transport and logistics organizations already dealing with high volumes, complex networks, and limited resources, this shift will only magnify existing challenges.

Organizations that are just barely managing under 398-day validity periods will be severely tested as the window closes to 47 days by 2029. Manual strategies will no longer be a viable option and could ultimately prove a huge liability; the sheer volume of certificates and frequency of renewals will make it nearly impossible to keep up with slow manual processes, thereby making outages more likely for those who fail to adopt automated certificate lifecycle management.

From fleet telematics to cargo tracking platforms and even booking engines, many critical systems could be disabled if certificates are not properly renewed. Ensuing losses could be magnified if these failures occur during peak logistics seasons. After all, attackers have been known to strike during times of high demand.

Shorter lifespans may provide the push needed to take steps towards achieving truly robust cybersecurity in a rapidly changing digital ecosystem. With automated solutions in place, 47-day validity periods will no longer feel like a liability, but rather, will become a security advantage.

How automation strengthens transport & logistics organization security

Automated certificate management strengthens overall T&L security by addressing both present inefficiencies and anticipated challenges. This is a proactive solution designed to keep pace with evolving security requirements.

With certificates centrally managed and automatically discovered, deployed, and renewed, organizations can remain confident that critical technologies will remain online. Meanwhile, reporting tools, like those available within the SCM platform, will strengthen compliance, producing an audit trail that will satisfy regulators and insurers. In the long run, this supports zero-trust security strategies.

Secure your transport and logistics operations with Sectigo

As certificate lifespans shrink, T&L leaders must adopt a proactive approach to digital certificate management, complete with automation. This is only the first step, however. Leaders must also be mindful of looming quantum threats, which requires advanced crypto agility within organizations. Automated CLM offers one of the most accessible steps towards achieving crypto agility, as this makes it easier to update cryptographic standards without disrupting crucial operations.

Sectigo helps organizations transition to automated certificate management with a platform built for complex, large-scale environments. Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) provides the visibility and control needed to manage certificates across today’s vast transport and logistics networks. SCM adapts to existing infrastructures with broad integration options and CA-agnostic capabilities.

Learn more about T&L use cases or take the next step by scheduling a demo.

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What is the purpose of post-quantum cryptography?

Electronic signatures, commonly referred to as e-signatures, are a broad set of solutions that use an electronic process for accepting a document or transaction with a signature. As documents and communication are increasingly paperless, businesses and consumers worldwide have embraced the speed and convenience of these types of signatures. But there are many different types of electronic signatures, each allowing users to sign documents digitally and offering some degree of identity authentication.

Digital signatures are one of those electronic signature technologies and are the most secure type available. Digital signatures use PKI certificates from a Certificate Authority (CA), a type of Trust Service Provider, to ensure identity authentication and document integrity by encrypted binding of the signature to the document. Other, less secure e-signature types may use common electronic authentication methods to verify the signer’s identity, such as an email address, a corporate username/ID, or a phone number/PIN.

As a result of different technical and security requirements, electronic signatures vary in industry, geographic, and legal acceptance. Digital signatures comply with the most demanding regulatory requirements, including the United States Federal ESIGN Act and other applicable international laws.

How do digital signatures work?

Digital signatures use public key infrastructure (PKI), which is considered the gold standard for digital identity authentication and encryption. PKI relies upon the use of two related keys, a public key and a private key, that together create a key pair to encrypt and decrypt a message using strong public key cryptography algorithms. Using both public and private keys that are generated using a mathematical algorithm to provide the signer with their own digital identity, a digital signature is generated and encrypted using that signer’s private key, and also a timestamp of when the document was signed using the key. These keys are normally stored safely thanks to the help of a trusted CA.

Both public and private keys are generated using a mathematical algorithm; they provide the signer with their own digital identity and then a digital signature is generated and encrypted using that signer’s corresponding private key. A timestamp of when the document was signed using the key is also generated. These keys are normally stored safely thanks to the help of a trusted CA.

Here is how sending a digital signature works:

1. The sender selects the file to be digitally signed in the document platform or application.
2. The sender’s computer calculates the unique hash value of the file content.
3. This hash value is encrypted with the sender’s private key to create the digital signature.
4. The original file along with its digital signature is sent to the receiver.
5. The receiver uses the associated document application, which identifies that the file has been digitally signed.
6. The receiver’s computer then decrypts the digital signature using the sender’s public key.

The receiver’s computer then calculates the hash of the original file and compares the hash it has computed with the now decrypted hash of the sender’s file.

The process to create a digital signature is easy and straightforward for the average user and for enterprises to adopt. You first need a digital signing certificate, which can be acquired through a trusted Certificate Authority like Sectigo. After downloading and installing the certificate, you simply use the digital signing function of the appropriate document platform or application. For example, most email applications provide a “Digitally Sign” button to digitally sign your emails.

When sending out a document signed using a private key, the receiving party obtains the signer’s public key which will allow one to decrypt the document. Once the document is decrypted, the receiving party can view the unaltered document as the user intended.

If the receiving party cannot decrypt the document using the public key, then it signifies that the document has been altered, or even that the signature doesn’t even belong to the original signer.

Digital signature technology requires all involved parties to trust that the individual creating the signature has been able to keep their own private key secret. If someone else has access to the signer's private key, that party could create fraudulent digital signatures in the name of the private key holder.

What happens if either the sender or receiver change the file after it has been digitally signed? As the hash value for the file is unique, any change to the file creates a different hash value. As a result, when the receiver’s computer compares the hash to validate the integrity of the data, the difference in the hash values would reveal the file had been altered. Thus, the digital signature would be shown as invalid.

What does a digital signature look like?

Since the heart of a digital signature is the PKI certificate, which is software code, the digital signature itself is not inherently visible. However, document platforms may provide easily recognizable proof that a document has been digitally signed. This representation and the certificate details shown varies by document type and processing platform. For example, an Adobe PDF that has been digitally signed displays a seal icon and blue ribbon and across the top of the document that shows the document signer’s name and the certificate issuer.

Additionally, it can appear on a document in the same way as signatures are applied on a physical document and can include an image of your physical signature, date, location, and official seal.

Digital signatures can also be invisible, though the digital certificate remains valid. Invisible signatures are useful when the type of document typically does not display the image of a physical signature, like a photograph. The document’s properties may disclose the information about the digital certificate, the issuing CA, and an indication of the document’s authenticity and integrity.

If a digital signature is invalid for any reason, documents display a warning that it is not to be trusted.

Why are they important?

As more business is conducted online, agreements and transactions that were once signed on paper and delivered physically are now being replaced with fully digital documents and workflows. However, whenever valuable or sensitive data is shared, malicious actors who want to steal or manipulate that information for their own gain are ever-present. Businesses must be able to verify and authenticate that these critical business documents, data, and communications are trusted and delivered securely to reduce the risk of document tampering by malicious parties.

In addition to protecting valuable online information, digital signatures do not disrupt the efficiency of online document workflows; in fact they typically help improve document management compared to paper processes. Once digital signatures have been implemented, the act of signing a document is easy and can be done on any computing or mobile device.

In addition, the signature is portable as it is incorporated in the file itself, wherever it is transmitted and on whatever device. Digitally signed documents are also easy to control and keep track of by providing the status of all documents, identifying whether or not they’ve been signed, and viewing an audit trail.

And of course, it is vital these digitally signed agreements are recognized from a legal standpoint. Digital signatures are compliant with important standards like the United States Federal ESIGN Act, GLBA, HIPAA/HITECH, PCI DSS, and US-EU Safe Harbor.

Common uses & examples

Today, digital signatures are commonly used for a variety of different online documents in order to improve the efficiency and security of critical business transactions that are now paperless, including:

• Contracts and legal documents: Digital signatures are legally binding. Thus, they are ideal for any legal document requiring an authenticated signature by one or more parties and assurance that the document has not been modified.
• Sales agreements: By digitally signing contracts and sales agreements, both the seller and the buyer identities are authenticated, and both parties have peace of mind that the signatures are legally binding and that the terms and conditions of the agreement have not been altered.
• Financial documents: Financial departments digitally sign invoices so that customers trust the payment request is coming from the proper seller, not a bad actor trying to scam the buyer into sending payment to a fraudulent account.
• Healthcare data: In the healthcare industry, data privacy is paramount for both patient records and research data. Digital signatures ensure that this sensitive information has not been altered when shared between consenting parties.
• Government forms: Government agencies at the federal, state, and local level have stricter guidelines and regulations compared to many private sector businesses. From approving permits to clocking in on a timesheet, the signatures can streamline productivity by ensuring that the right employee is involved for the appropriate approvals.
• Shipping documents: For manufacturers, ensuring cargo manifests or bills of lading are always accurate helps reduce costly shipping errors. Yet, physical paperwork is cumbersome, isn’t always easily accessed in transit, and can be lost. By digitally signing shipping documents, shippers and receivers can access a file quickly, verify that the signature is up to date, and confirm that no tampering has occurred.

It’s important to choose a trusted CA, like Sectigo, for your digital signing and certificate needs. Learn about our document signing certificates today.

Many sophisticated attacks now leave even seemingly well-protected websites and organizations at risk. Among the most worrisome? The harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) strategy. Also referred to as harvest and decrypt, this is the purview of patient cybercriminals, who are willing to wait as long as it takes for quantum computing to shake up the cryptography scene.

Quantum computing will prove current encryption methods ineffective, and with the timeline of the quantum threat getting closer (as soon as 2030), this type of attack is a huge concern. Businesses must start their journey on the path towards achieving crypto agility—the ability to shift algorithms or encryption strategies without significantly disrupting key processes—now to better position themselves to combat threats like these that may not yet be fully understood.

Given the inherent urgency of the harvest now, decrypt later type of attack, it is crucial to get equipped with the proper post-quantum cryptography solutions. Sectigo’s post-quantum blueprint offers a viable path through the hazards of the quantum apocalypse, including the justifiable fears surrounding harvest now, decrypt later attacks.

What is the harvest now, decrypt later attack?

Also referred to as "retrospective decryption" or "store now, decrypt later," HNDL involves a unique approach to cybercrime: threat actors seek currently encrypted data, even if they are unable to access it yet.

From there, sophisticated cybercriminals can bide their time until quantum computing tactics become readily available. This is the ultimate form of playing the long game, and attackers anticipate that it will pay off.

Once quantum computing enters the picture, previously effective encryption algorithms will no longer keep the stored data these cybercriminals collected safe. Unfortunately, quantum computers will have the power to break widely used encryption algorithms like Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC).

How the harvest now, decrypt later attack works

The central strategy of harvest now, decrypt later is simple: gather as much data as possible and prepare to decrypt it in the future. This is a purpose-driven strategy, and cybercriminals are far from haphazard in their efforts; they go to great lengths to ensure that they can access information that will be easiest to leverage and that will cause the most damage once decrypted.

Data harvest stage

It’s widely accepted that we are already in the midst of the data harvest stage, as many sophisticated attackers are well aware of the upcoming availability of quantum computing and eager to leverage enhanced computing power as soon as possible. Threat actors are preparing right now, and potential victims should be as well. Critical components of data harvesting include:

• Identifying targets. This strategy begins with the careful selection of targets. Typically, threat actors focus on data that will remain relevant over time. This could include anything from personal data (such as financial information) to intellectual property. A lot depends on how the cybercriminals intend to use that information once decrypted. Adversaries may also examine encryption strength, targeting data if it's thought likely to become vulnerable in the next few years. Cybercriminals tend to seek out vast quantities of data, with the assumption that at least some of it will prove useful later on.

• Capturing encrypted data. Once targets have been identified and thoroughly researched, the next step involves obtaining the desired data. Yes, it may be encrypted at this point, but that will not stop threat actors from seeking access. Through numerous attack mechanisms, cybercriminals can pinpoint vulnerabilities, breach servers or databases, and capture data without initially decrypting it.

• Monitoring. The 'harvest' portion of HNDL attacks may not necessarily represent a one-time pursuit. If vulnerabilities are detected, threat actors may monitor these over time and continue to capture data as it becomes available. Those targeted may never realize that they are being monitored and their data is being harvested.

Data storage and management

After obtaining encrypted data, cybercriminals enter an uncertain stage that could potentially last several years: storing and managing a wealth of illicitly obtained information. Many rely on cloud storage and fraudulent accounts, although some may look to physical storage solutions for enhanced security and obfuscation.

Techniques such as fragmentation or misnaming of files may make it more difficult to detect bad actors. Over time, these cybercriminals will continue to verify that harvested data remains accessible (only to them, of course) and that it is properly concealed. They may also take steps to limit the risk of data loss or obsolescence.

Future decryption with quantum computers

While quantum computing is not yet available, all signs indicate that this will soon change. When this unmatched computing power is unleashed, bad actors—who have patiently waited for years—will have the ability to decrypt previously protected data. At this point, they will be able to break algorithms such as RSA and ECC.

This devastating final stage will begin with gaining access to quantum computing resources and then centralizing data, which may have been stored in numerous locations through the years. From there, the strongest quantum algorithms (capable of breaking the most powerful encryption schemes) can be applied.

Key discovery will play heavily into this stage and could leave targeted organizations at risk. Following successful decryption, cybercriminals may have access to passwords, financial information, and other sensitive data that can be used for malicious purposes.

Why harvest now, decrypt later attacks are a current and future threat

While we may not see the most obvious effects of this strategy for a few years, it already represents a significant threat—and hackers may already be starting to identify prospects and gather data.

Unfortunately, the vulnerabilities of current cryptographic methods influence this effort. These vary between algorithms but involve underlying assumptions related to prime numbers and elliptic curve properties. Originally, RSA and ECC algorithms made it far too difficult to derive private keys from their public counterparts in a reasonable amount of time, but quantum computing will pick up the pace and make it far easier to crack those codes.

The good news? Safeguards are within reach, especially as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced its winning quantum-resistant algorithms. If proactive strategies are put in place now, it may not be too late to implement data protection strategies to protect your organization from the worst of the quantum apocalypse.

The importance of addressing this type of threat now

The quantum age is closer than most people think; experts anticipate that by 2030 conventional asymmetric cryptography will no longer provide sufficient protection. This is only a few short years away, and already threat actors could potentially be gathering sensitive data to be used for ill purposes later on.

With threats such as HNDL coming to light, it is increasingly clear that quantum concerns need to be addressed as soon as possible. The term "quantum threat" describes the urgency that this situation requires—and underscores that, although quantum computing could present some unique opportunities, we cannot fully realize them unless we promptly address the accompanying security concerns.

Developing and implementing a strong post-quantum framework (including quantum-resistant algorithms) takes years, and although the field has made great progress in recent years, most organizations remain far from sufficiently protected.

Build your post-quantum cryptography blueprint today with Sectigo

Concerned about post-quantum threats? There is no avoiding the quantum revolution, but the right strategy can provide valuable protection. At Sectigo, we are committed to remaining at the front lines of quantum-safe cryptography and helping organizations prepare for these changes.

Start your post-quantum cryptography (PQC) journey and look to Sectigo for support every step of the way. Our Q.U.A.N.T. strategy provides excellent guidance through the process of achieving quantum security. Reach out today to learn more.

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Federal bureaus and local agencies alike need open lines of communication, and often, they rely on curated websites. These accomplish a great deal, including keeping community members in the know about critical services, enabling document submissions, processing payments, and facilitating communication with government representatives. The problem? These websites can be vulnerable to interference from bad actors, who exploit security vulnerabilities to access sensitive data or even disrupt government services.

Digital certificates can ease such fears by enabling certificate-based authentication for the growing number of human and machine identities, while securing sensitive communications. However, growing certificate volumes and shrinking certificate lifespans have made manual certificate lifecycle management (CLM) unsustainable, especially in the face of increasing cyber threats and evolving regulatory requirements. Public sector organizations are now under greater pressure to manage certificates efficiently to maintain strong security and compliance.

The volume of digital certificates is only expected to increase, but agencies need not fear a never-ending game of catch-up; effective certificate management can provide hassle-free encryption and authentication, all while helping agencies focus on their core mission: serving the public.

Challenges in certificate management for public sector organizations

Public and private sector organizations share similar certificate management challenges: rapidly expanding and increasingly vulnerable digital infrastructure that can be difficult to understand and manage, especially in the midst of new security threats (including the looming quantum computing era) and evolving compliance expectations. These challenges are compounded by the upcoming 47-day SSL certificate renewal requirement, which will significantly increase operational pressure, and by the deprecation of client authentication certificates from public CAs in mid-2026.

With the public sector, however, these difficulties are exacerbated by a few core challenges: budget constraints and agency complexity, to name a few. Noteworthy concerns include:

Securing critical infrastructure from modern cyber threats

Public sector infrastructure, from traffic control systems and utility grids to healthcare records and law enforcement networks, is an increasingly attractive target for sophisticated cyber criminals. Without a strong CLM strategy in place, these systems can be left vulnerable to a wide range of attacks.

A growingly concerning attack as quantum computing nears is the “harvest now, decrypt later” approach, where attackers intercept and store encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it in the future using quantum computing or other advances. Poorly managed certificates also open the door to Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks, allowing criminals to impersonate systems or intercept sensitive communications without detection.

Managing a diverse and expanding certificate infrastructure

The public sector commands a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem that includes a dizzying array of assets and environments. This goes beyond the citizen-facing websites that so diligently serve the public to also include complex internal networks that support seamless coordination between various public sector teams and professionals. These assets may be dispersed across on-premise, hybrid, and cloud environments, each of which presents its own unique set of considerations. Agencies may also rely on multiple Certificate Authorities (CAs) to manage certificates across different systems and teams, further complicating oversight and control.

For example, a single government agency may operate multiple online portals for public records, tax payments, and licensing services, each requiring up-to-date digital certificates to maintain trust and avoid service interruptions. Guaranteeing that all certificates remain valid, consistent, and properly configured is a logistical challenge, especially when systems span both legacy infrastructure and modern cloud-based platforms.

Risks associated with certificate expiration and service disruptions

Diverse organizations across both the public and private sectors are understandably eager to avoid outages and disruptions, which harm users and can lead to serious reputational damage. Arguably, however, the stakes are even higher when the public sector is involved: dysfunctional websites or applications could have devastating consequences, potentially even jeopardizing public safety. This could ultimately spark major losses in citizen trust, which could have ripple effects that are difficult to predict.

Unfortunately, certificate expirations are a distinct possibility, as many public sector organizations continue to rely on manual methods for renewing them. Often understaffed and overburdened, these agencies struggle to keep up with the influx of certificates and, as a result, are more prone than ever to misconfigurations and expirations.  This challenge will only intensify as digital certificate lifecycles are shortened, leading to multiple renewals per year:

• March 15, 2026: Lifespan reduced to 200 days
• March 15, 2027: Lifespan reduced to 100 days
• March 15, 2029: Lifespan reduced to 47 days

With these deadlines in place, organizations will face 2x, 4x, and eventually 12x the number of renewals per certificate.

Navigating strict compliance and regulatory demands

Digital certificates play a key role in meeting strict regulatory requirements, especially as they relate to data protection and cybersecurity. These requirements are relevant across many fields but are particularly important in the public sector, as they provide much-needed accountability and transparency.

Especially relevant? The Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), which aims to maintain the strict confidentiality, integrity, and availability of federal information systems. Depending on the agency and the scope of its services, many other compliance concerns could also come into play, including complications involving HIPAA or even the GDPR. Falling short of these requirements can carry serious consequences, such as legal penalties, reputational damage, and the exposure of citizen data.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 introduces the “Govern” function, detailing the importance of establishing and monitoring cybersecurity risk management strategies, expectations, and policies. This function provides outcomes to inform and prioritize the other five functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.

Adding to the pressure are recent industry changes, such as Google Chrome’s announced deprecation of client authentication in public certificates by mid-2026. This shift underscores how compliance is not only about meeting today’s mandates but also about adapting to evolving standards that directly impact how certificates are issued and used.

Implementing effective CLM solutions supports this “Govern” function by making sure digital certificates are properly managed throughout their lifecycle, from issuance to renewal and revocation. This management helps maintain authentication integrity and align with industry best practices.

Limited visibility and centralized control over certificates

Given the far-reaching nature of government-related digital infrastructure, it's easy to see how certificate visibility can feel limited. Partial visibility is a common concern, reflecting a "divide and conquer" approach that makes it difficult to share information or keep up with rapidly changing certificate management needs. Under these siloed strategies, rogue certificates, which are unauthorized or unmanaged digital certificates often created by IT teams using unsanctioned tools or services, are more likely to fall through the cracks and, in the worst-case scenario, could potentially become viable entry points for threat actors.

Operational inefficiencies due to manual certificate management

Manual certificate issuance, deployment, revocation, and renewals are incredibly time-consuming and error-prone. The IT professionals tasked with handling these processes may struggle to keep up, and, worse, may sacrifice other IT priorities in favor of certificate-focused responsibilities that could easily be automated. Stretched thin, these otherwise reliable professionals may be prone to errors that could eventually prompt expirations and service disruptions.

An enlightening case study reveals the harm caused by an ongoing reliance on manual certificate management, along with the powerful possibilities that emerge when an automated approach is implemented. In the Netherlands, the public works and water management agency Rijkswaterstaat previously struggled to keep up with public demands due to an outdated system that included simple spreadsheets and a myriad of help desk requests.

By implementing an automated CLM solution through Sectigo Certificate Management (SCM), Rijkswaterstaat successfully streamlined certificate operations, automating more than 400 certificates and saying goodbye to cumbersome manual practices. New certificate cycle times dropped dramatically; it had previously taken several weeks to receive a new certificate following a request, but that gap spanned just two hours once SCM was in place.

Opportunities for public sector organizations to improve certificate lifecycle management

In spite of the many challenges highlighted above, public sector organizations have a clear path toward a more secure digital future. With the right approach, they can confidently deliver the services citizens rely on while protecting internal communications. This begins with a strategic approach to certificate lifecycle management, powered by automation to simplify issuance and ensure timely renewals.

Implementing automated certificate lifecycle management solutions

Manual certificate management is no longer sustainable in today’s fast-paced digital landscape, as shortening certificate lifecycles and the rapid growth of human and machine identities demand scalable, automated solutions. At this point, automation is not merely a helpful solution; it is absolutely imperative for keeping up with the quickly growing volume of digital certificates.

One of the key opportunities for improvement comes from automating certificate discovery across the entire certificate estate. By continuously scanning for and cataloging all certificates, organizations gain full visibility into their environment. This reduces the risk of unknown or “rogue” certificates causing unexpected outages or compliance failures.

Automated CLM manages all stages of the certificate lifecycle, including the discovery process. Transitioning to auotmation can be surprisingly straightforward; Sectigo offers helpful guidance to make the certificate lifecycle feel seamless.

Centralizing certificate management for better oversight

A centralized approach to certificate management can provide enhanced oversight, limiting the potential for data silos or rogue certificates. Unifying certificate management ensures consistent policy enforcement, all while making it easier to identify and mitigate risks that might be missed when maintaining a more siloed approach.

Single pane of glass management for both public and private certificates, like that offered by SCM, promises full visibility across vast and increasingly complex certificate environments. This can help overcome many persistent certificate management challenges while limiting certificate-related operational expenses.

Improving compliance through proactive certificate management strategies

With automation and centralization bringing greater reliability to certificate management, agencies can dramatically improve compliance with FISMA, HIPAA, and many other compliance frameworks. Compliance largely depends on consistent coverage and standardized enforcement of encryption policies — qualities that the right CLM can promote.

Automated reporting and documentation not only simplify auditing processes but also enhance audit-readiness and support stronger compliance with evolving regulations. Automated CLM solutions such as SCM can produce comprehensive and easily accessible reports that keep IT and management in the know about critical certificate processes while providing early insight into emerging concerns.

Simplify certificate management in the public sector with Sectigo

See how automated certificate management enables public sector organizations to deliver secure, reliable digital services. Offering a comprehensive, automated CLM platform, Sectigo Certificate Manager brings both improved efficiency and security to public sector agencies.

With centralized oversight and real-time visibility, SCM empowers agencies to manage certificates with confidence while supporting critical government services. As a highly trusted certificate authority with a strong track record that includes representation in the CA/Browser Forum and more than 1 billion certificates issued, Sectigo is an ideal partner for bringing integrity to public sector CLM. Book a demo to see SCM in action.

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Certificate Lifecycle Automation for Enterprises: Benefits & Use Cases

Overcoming Certificate Lifecycle Management challenges & unlocking the full value of CLM platforms

Depending on your needs, there are many different types of SSL certificates, each with unique validation processes and use cases. The level of authentication provided by a Certificate Authority (CA) is a significant differentiator between the types. Each type of certificate requires specific information and documentation, and once that is received, a CA follows a set of Baseline Requirements to complete the certificate verification process before issuance.

There are three main SSL certificate types, categorized by their validation level:

• Extended Validation (EV): offers the highest trust and most thorough identity verification.
• Organization Validation (OV): confirms both domain ownership and the organization’s legal identity.
• Domain Validation (DV): verifies control of a domain name only, providing a basic level of authentication.

In addition to these validation levels, there are different variations of SSL certificates based on how many domains they cover:

• Single Domain: secures one fully qualified domain name. 
• Multi-Domain (MD), also known as Subject Alternative Names (SAN): secures multiple domains under one certificate. 
• Wildcard: secures a single domain and all of its subdomains.
• Unified Communications (UCC): designed for Microsoft Exchange and Office Communication Server environments.

When determining which type of SSL is needed for a website, enterprises and individuals should start by choosing the main authentication type that adheres to their website security requirements. From there, they can opt for a specific package to meet the unique needs of their domain setup. Certain variations are better suited for businesses with a single domain vs multiple domains vs a single domain with several subdomains.

For example, a small non-eCommerce business may only need a Single Domain DV certificate, while a larger organization managing multiple websites may require a Multi-Domain EV SSL.

Learn about each type below to find the most appropriate, cost-effective option for your needs.

SSL certificate authentication types

The functionality of your website and how it’s being used will help determine the level of validation needed for your certificate. Different validation levels provide varying degrees of trust and protection for site visitors.

Domain validation SSL certificates

Domain Validation (DV) SSL certificates, also known as domain validated certificates, provide the quickest, easiest, and most affordable way to obtain industry-standard encryption. This type of certificate verifies only that the applicant controls the domain name being secured.

DV certificates are typically issued within minutes, since no additional business documentation is required. Once installed, they display the HTTPS prefix before the domain name and trust indicators like the tune icon in Chrome.

Benefits of a DV SSL certificate:

• Validates control of a domain.
• Enables HTTPS and visible trust indicators in browsers, reassuring visitors that their connection is encrypted.
• Issues within minutes.
• Cost-effective solution for smaller websites, offering encryption without the need for complex business validation.

DV SSL Use cases

Since the legitimacy of the organization is not verified, DV SSL certificates work best on websites that don’t collect any personal data or credit card transactions. Common use cases include blogs, portfolios, small informational sites, internal systems, and testing environments.

They provide baseline encryption and authentication, suitable for low-risk sites needing a secure connection without extensive validation.

Organization validation SSL certificates

Organization Validation (OV) SSL certificates are a step up from DV in terms of authentication and trust. To receive one, an organization must prove domain ownership and verify that it is a legally registered business. During this process, details such as the organization’s name, address, phone number, and registration status are confirmed by the Certificate Authority (CA).

This extra verification gives visitors confidence that the website is operated by a legitimate company, not an anonymous entity.

Benefits of an OV SSL certificate:

• Validates both domain ownership and the organization’s business identity.
• Displays HTTPS and trust indicators in major browsers.
• Shows verified organization details in the certificate information, allowing users to confirm who operates the website.
• Issued within 1–3 business days once documentation is reviewed, balancing stronger validation with quick turnaround time.

OV SSL Use cases

Since OV SSL certificates can only be issued to a registered organization and not individuals, this makes them more suitable for commercial and public-facing websites.

They are still not ideal for sites collecting highly sensitive information, but they are a strong option for businesses, nonprofits, and organizations looking to demonstrate authenticity and build trust online.

Extended validation SSL certificates

Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates provide the highest level of trust and authentication available, and are the industry standard for eCommerce and enterprise websites. To receive one, website owners must meet the authentication requirements for an OV SSL but also complete a more detailed, manual vetting process performed by a human specialist.

This human verification step provides an added layer of assurance, confirming not only that the business is legitimate but also that the requester is authorized to obtain the certificate on behalf of the organization. This thorough review builds customer confidence, especially when handling online transactions or sensitive data.

EV certificates provide the same trust indicators as DV and OV certificates, but the rigorous validation process makes them significantly harder for phishing or fraudulent websites to imitate. For users, this signals that the website’s identity has been fully verified and is safe to interact with.

Benefits of an EV SSL certificate:

• Validates domain ownership and verifies the legal identity of the organization.
• Displays HTTPS and trust indicators in browsers.
• Authenticates the legitimacy of an organization, adding an additional level of trust.
• Verifies the applicant has the right to request an EV SSL and is in good standing with the organization.
• Displays verified organization details within the certificate information, which users can inspect to confirm legitimacy.
• Offers the strongest protection against phishing attacks, making it difficult for malicious actors to impersonate the site.
• Issues in 1-5 days after all required documents are received.

EV SSL Use cases

EV SSL certificates are recommended for all business and enterprise websites but are especially important for any site that requests personal information from users (eCommerce, financial, legal and otherwise). They are ideal for organizations seeking maximum user trust and protection against impersonation or fraudulent activity.

Other SSL certificate variations

Today's websites have multiple layers of pages, domains, and subdomains. Whether you need to secure a single domain with one subdomain, or 100 domains and their aligning subdomains, there are different SSL variations designed to match your setup. These options make it easier for businesses of any size to maintain strong encryption and efficient certificate management.

Single domain SSL certificates

A single domain SSL secures one fully qualified domain name, including both the WWW and non-WWW versions. It can also secure a single subdomain, hostname, IP address, or mail server.

This variation is available in DV, OV, and EV authentication options, making it flexible for different trust levels.

Benefits include:

• Simplifies certificate management by focusing encryption on one domain, reducing cost and renewal complexity.

Ideal for: Business or personal websites that only use one primary domain, landing pages or blogs that do not require multi-domain coverage, or small organizations seeking affordable protection for one main site. 

Multi-Domain (MD) or Subject Alternative Names (SAN) SSL certificates

Also commonly referred to as SAN certificates, multi-domain certificates allow a single certificate to secure multiple domainsor subdomains, whether they share the same root domain or belong to different websites entirely.

One SAN certificate can secure up to 250 unique domains, providing a centralized solution for complex organizations or enterprises with multiple brands or services.

Benefits include:

• Protects multiple domains with one certificate, reducing administrative burden.
• Supports a mix of subdomains and unrelated domains, such as example.com, example.org, and store.example.net.
• Available in DV, OV, and EV validation levels to meet varied compliance or security needs.
• Simplifies renewals and management by consolidating everything under one certificate.

Ideal for: Hosting providers, corporations with multiple brand websites, or IT teams managing extensive domain portfolios.

Wildcard SSL certificates

A Wildcard SSL certificate is used to secure the main domain and an unlimited number of subdomains under the main domain. For example, www.yourwebsite.com, login.yourwebsite.com, and mail.yourwebsite.com would all be secured with one Wildcard certificate. 

Benefits include: 

• Available in DV and OV validation options.
• Provides strong encryption for all subdomains without the need for separate certificates.
• Easily scalable, so new subdomains are automatically secured when created.

Ideal for: Organizations managing multiple subdomains under one main domain, such as SaaS platforms or eCommerce sites.

Unified communications (UCC) SSL certificates

The Unified Communications certificate type is designed for the Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office Communication Server environments. This is a multi-domain option that can secure up to 100 domains at once.

Benefits include:

• Simplifies security management for email, collaboration, and VoIP systems.
• Reduces cost and configuration time compared to managing individual certificates.
• Supports SAN fields, allowing customization for specific Exchange environments.

Ideal for: Businesses using Microsoft Exchange, Teams, or other unified communication platforms that require secure, encrypted connections across multiple services.

Trust Sectigo as your SSL certificate provider

Sectigo is one of the world’s leading Certificate Authorities and the #1 provider of SSL certificates trusted by millions of websites. With a full range of validation options including Domain, Organization, and Extended Validation, Sectigo helps businesses of every size protect data, build trust, and comply with modern security standards.

See a comparison of our different types of SSL authentication levels and variations here, and if you need more information on choosing the right one for your website, contact Sectigo today.

Tightening regulations and the ever-growing threat of cyberattacks have underscored the need for efficient certificate management in the financial industry. Unfortunately, many organizations have already experienced certificate-related outages and breaches that disrupt their services and harm customer trust. Take the well-known case of HSBC, for example, where the bank experienced a widespread outage of a critical payment processing system due to an expired digital certificate.

With manual certificate lifecycle management (CLM) processes still prevalent in many organizations, challenges such as delayed renewals, tracking errors, and fragmented management systems create substantial risks. To help financial institutions address these risks, let's take an in-depth look at the key challenges in certificate management and the opportunities to address them with automation.

Challenges in certificate management for financial institutions

Financial institutions face a complex landscape when it comes to managing digital certificates. From the ever-growing number of digital assets they have to manage to the increasing regulatory pressures, there are a lot of certificate lifecycle management (CLM) challenges that organizations must overcome. Here are several of the top challenges facing financial institutions today:

Managing a complex and expanding digital certificate landscape

In today’s financial ecosystem, institutions must secure an ever-growing number of digital assets. From ATMs and mobile banking apps to cloud services and third-party integrations, there is now a wide range of platforms where digital certificates need to be issued, tracked, and renewed. 

The process becomes even more complex when certificate management spans multiple environments (such as Windows, Linux, Kubernetes, and Azure). Institutions are increasingly running workloads across diverse environments, all of which require strong, consistent certificate-based authentication. This shift requires a certificate lifecycle management solution that can integrate seamlessly across these platforms. Without centralized visibility and automation, tracking certificate status in such a fragmented ecosystem can lead to errors, missed renewals, and potential service disruptions.

This highlights the need for a CA-agnostic, cloud-native CLM solution that is capable of discovering, managing, and renewing certificates across all environments and certificate types, whether public or private, from a single pane of glass.

Certificate expirations and service outages

Expired SSL certificates present significant risks to financial institutions. From rendering ATMs inoperable to disrupting online transactions to potentially exposing serious security vulnerabilities, even a single missed renewal can cause widespread operational and reputational damage. In fact, according to a survey by the Ponemon Institute, unplanned outages caused by expired certificates can cost organizations an average of $15 million per outage.

For the many organizations that still rely on spreadsheets and manual tracking to keep up with certificate renewals, the chance of oversight is high. This outdated approach significantly increases the likelihood of a data breach, especially as certificate volumes grow and lifespans eventually shorten to 47 days. 

One organization that faced this challenge was Mutuelle Viasanté, a healthcare mutual group. They were managing certificates manually and found it increasingly difficult to prevent lapses. By adopting Sectigo’s automated CLM solution, they eliminated the risk of expired certificates and achieved centralized visibility across their digital infrastructure. Read the full case study to learn how they transformed their approach.

Navigating compliance and regulatory pressures

Regulations such as PCI DSS, GDPR, and PSD2 impose strict requirements on financial institutions regarding data security and certificate management. These regulations mandate rigorous auditing, encryption standards, and real-time visibility into certificate statuses. Each of these frameworks outlines specific expectations, from issuance to renewal and revocation, and requires proof that certificates are being actively monitored and maintained.

To avoid fines and maintain customer trust, financial institutions must bear the burden of ensuring that their certificate management practices are aligned with regulatory standards and tracked in real time. This includes implementing robust controls for certificate auditing, adopting strong encryption practices, and having centralized visibility to demonstrate compliance during regulatory audits. A single lapse, such as an expired or misconfigured certificate, could result not only in service disruptions but also in non-compliance penalties.

Lack of visibility and centralized control over certificates

Financial institutions using multiple Certificate Authorities (CAs) struggle with fragmented certificate management. Without centralized visibility, financial institutions risk exposure to security threats and inefficiencies, including blind spots where certificates may expire unnoticed or be mismanaged.

Consider a multinational bank managing thousands of digital certificates across several regions. Without a unified management system, tracking expirations and renewals becomes a practically impossible task. This complexity is only magnified when certificates span various environments, teams, and geographies, making it difficult to maintain consistent policies or ensure compliance.

To mitigate the security vulnerabilities that this partial visibility creates, unified certificate management is key. Without a unified solution in place, institutions cannot gain real-time insight into certificate status, expiration timelines, and issuance patterns.

Increased security and operational risks

Manual certificate management leads to significant security risks, but it also creates numerous operational inefficiencies. Manually handling certificate issuance, renewal, and revocation introduces room for human error, delays, and misconfigurations, all of which can open the door to vulnerabilities. Without automation, organizations are more likely to miss expiration deadlines or mismanage certificate deployments, leaving systems exposed.

When required to manage certificate issuance, renewal, and revocation manually, IT teams can often become overwhelmed, leading to a snowball effect where even more security concerns arise. As the volume of certificates grows across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, the manual workload can quickly exceed the capacity of even experienced teams. This leads to burnout, oversight, and inconsistent processes.

Without automation, teams also struggle to enforce consistent policies, monitor certificate health, or respond quickly to emerging threats. In high-stakes environments like financial services, these gaps can have serious consequences.

Opportunities for financial institutions to strengthen certificate management

While the challenges are formidable, there are also significant opportunities for financial institutions to strengthen their certificate management practices. Modern solutions such as Sectigo Certificate Manager (SCM) allow organizations to automate the process of managing digital certificates, creating plenty of opportunities to improve CLM while also improving process efficiency.

Automating certificate lifecycle management

CLM platforms that fully automate the process of monitoring, renewing, and replacing digital certificates eliminate both the inefficiencies of manual management and the risk of expired certificates. By continuously scanning for certificate status and triggering proactive renewals, these platforms help financial institutions stay ahead of expiration timelines, reducing the chance of outages or compliance violations.

For financial institutions, automating certificate lifecycle management offers a wide range of benefits, bolstering security while also freeing up IT teams to focus on other crucial tasks. With automation in place, teams no longer need to rely on spreadsheets or manual workflows, which are prone to oversight. Instead, they gain centralized control, streamlined workflows, and real-time visibility across all certificates.

Consolidating certificate management to gain unified visibility

By adopting a unified certificate lifecycle management solution, financial institutions can centralize the management of both public and private certificates, helping to eliminate blind spots and enabling consistent policy enforcement across the organization. This consolidation streamlines processes, reduces complexity, and improves security by providing a single source of truth for all certificate-related activities.

A unified CLM solution will also integrate seamlessly with your existing enterprise systems, including on-premise, cloud, or hybrid, helping further streamline processes and creating an infrastructure that is more transparent and resilient. Modern CLM platforms support API-driven integrations with popular ITSM, DevOps, and security tools, making it easy to embed certificate management into your existing workflows and technology stack.

Strengthening security

Automated certificate management strengthens security in several key ways. For one, it helps prevent expired certificates and the security vulnerabilities they create. But with a CLM solution such as SCM, you can also leverage automated monitoring and alerts to prevent fraud, phishing, and certificate misuse. Sectigo provides real-time insights into certificate status, helping eliminate the risks of manual certificate management and prevent security breaches.

Simplifying compliance

Automated CLM solutions create an excellent opportunity for financial institutions to simplify regulatory compliance. Not only do these solutions ensure that all digital certificates are properly managed in compliance with all regulatory standards, they also provide logging and tracking tools to help financial institutions respond quickly to compliance inquiries and are capable of generating audit-ready reports to ease the process of proving compliance.

Why financial institutions trust Sectigo for certificate lifecycle management

Expired certificates can lead to compliance failures and security breaches which are risks that financial institutions simply cannot afford. To combat this issue, more and more organizations are turning to automated CLM solutions designed to address the complex challenges of digital certificate management in the financial industry.

Built to scale across modern enterprise environments, Sectigo Certificate Manager offers a comprehensive, automated platform that helps financial institutions reduce risk, simplify compliance, and eliminate manual certificate processes. With SCM, teams can monitor, renew, and replace digital certificates automatically while generating detailed reports and insights that support operational efficiency and audit readiness.

See how Sectigo Certificate Manager streamlines certificate lifecycle management for financial institutions. Start your free trial today.

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updated on: 06.19.2025

An SSH key is a secure access credential used in the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. SSH key pairs use public key infrastructure (PKI) technology, the gold standard for digital identity authentication and encryption, to provide a secure and scalable method of authentication.
 

As the SSH protocol is widely used for communication in cloud services, network environments, file transfer tools, configuration management tools, and other computer-dependent services, most organizations use this type of key-based authentication to verify identities and protect those services from unintended use or malicious attacks.

Key pair - public and private keys

An SSH key relies upon the use of two related but asymmetric keys, a public key and a private key, that together create a key pair that is used as the secure access credential. The private key is secret, known only to the user, and should be encrypted and stored safely. The public key can be shared freely with any SSH server to which the user wishes to connect. These keys are normally managed by an organization’s IT team, or better yet, with the help of a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) to ensure they are stored safely.

To create the digital identity, the public and private key are both generated, and the pair is associated with each other using a strong public key cryptography algorithm. The most common mathematical algorithms used for key generation are Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), which is an elliptic curve application of DSA.

These algorithms use various computation methods to generate random numeric combinations of varying length so that they cannot be exploited with a brute force attack. The key size or bit length helps determine the strength of protection. 2048-bit RSA keys or 521-bit ECDSA keys offer sufficient cryptographic strength to keep hackers from cracking the algorithm.

How do SSH keys work?

The SSH key pair is used to authenticate the identity of a user or process that wants to access a remote system using the SSH protocol. The public key is used by both the user and the remote server to encrypt messages. On the remote server side, it is saved in a public key file. On the user’s side, it is stored in SSH key management software or in a file on their computer. The private key remains only on the system being used to access the remote server and is used to decrypt messages.

When a user or process requests a connection to the remote server using the SSH client, a challenge-response sequence is initiated to complete authentication. The SSH server recognizes that a connection is being requested and sends an encrypted challenge request using the shared public key information. The SSH client then decrypts the challenge message and responds back to the server. The user or process must respond correctly to the challenge to be granted access. This challenge-response sequence happens automatically between the SSH client and server without any manual action by the user.

SSH public key authentication vs. passwords

At a high level, SSH keys function like passwords by controlling access. But that’s where the similarity ends. Digital identities need to be strong so that they cannot be stolen, convenient so that access is fast and never interrupted, and future-proof so that enterprises can stay ahead of possible threats.

Passwords used to offer a measure of security, but they are not as effective as they once were. That’s because bad actors have become increasingly adept at stealing passwords in transit through the internet, lifting them from repositories, and obtaining them through brute force attacks.

These security risks and issues are compounded by the human factor: that people reuse, share, and continually forget passwords. The cost to businesses is high, not only because of data loss, outages, and the compromise of information, but also because passwords take time to enter, require significant support resources, and must be frequently reset.

Using PKI's cryptographic strength and authentication methods, SSH keys are not prone to malicious attacks and valid credentials are not exposed if a server has been compromised. PKI cryptography is being improved continuously, future-proofing identities against new and evolving threats.

SSH key authentication is also more convenient than password authentication. The keys connect users and processes to a server by initiating authentication and granting access automatically, so users don’t have to remember or enter their password for each and every system.

That being said, you should always password-protect your SSH private keys, or store them on a hardware token for added security.

Where to find your SSH keys

Before you’re able to use SSH keys, you will want to check to make sure your user account has them and if not, they will need to be created. There are several ways to do this, such as using Yubikeys or other hardware security solutions, which are often the safest way to go. However, for a more basic setup, you can use the .ssh directory.

If you opt to use the .ssh directory, you can find your SSH key pair by following these steps:

1. Go to your personal directory and look for the SSH directory. For Linux and MacOS, the default location is the ~/.ssh directory. On Windows, the default is C:\Users\<username>\.ssh.

2. Look for two files named something similar to id_dsa or id_rsa. One will have the .pub extension and the other will not (e.g., id_rsa.pub and id_rsa). The .pub file is the public key and the other is the private key. The public key may not always be present as it is not required on the client in order to work.

If you don’t find these files in the directory, or you don’t have a directory at all, then you will need to create the SSH keys.

How to generate an SSH key pair

To generate the SSH public/private key pair, one can do this manually or use an automated certificate management system.

Generating and storing new SSH keys manually can be accomplished on the most common operating systems. On Windows systems, they can be generated using the ssh-keygen command line tool or an SSH client, like PuTTy. On MacOs and Linux systems, they are generated using a terminal window.

To generate an SSH key, complete the following command line steps:

1. Enter the key gen command $ ssh-keygen -t rsa

2. Enter file in which to save the keys. Typically, the keys stored in the home directory or ~/.ssh/ directory (e.g. /home/foldername/.ssh/id_rsa or /c/Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa). Press enter once the preferred file name is chosen.

3. Enter a passphrase or leave empty for no passphrase. Note: The passphrase provides an additional layer of password protection for the key pair, but the user must type in the passphrase each time the key pair is used.

Once the pair is generated, the next step is to put the public key on the remote server. A system administrator can copy the SSH public key into the remote server’s authorized_keys file using the ssh-copy-id command (e.g. $ ssh-copy-id username@IP address). Alternatively, you can paste in the keys using secure shell command (e.g. $ cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh username@IP address "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys").

These steps then allow you to use the private key file for SSH authentication.

Configuring SSH

You can configure SSH bu modifying the system-wide configuration file on the server. Generally the file name is /etc/ssh/sshdc_config.

Once you access the /etc/ssh/ssh_config file, you can use it to control which users and which groups have SSH access to the server.

Similarly, local client confi can be done in a .ssh/config file. Through this file, a user can add specific configuration on a per-host basis, including, but not limited to, setting which private key to use for each server, which username and set-up SSH Tunnels.

SSH key management

Proper SSH key management is essential for organizations as these keys grant access to mission-critical business systems and data. Yet, managing them manually can be time-consuming and prone to error. It is further complicated by the fact that organizations typically have thousands, if not millions of keys stored throughout their environment. The security they provide can easily be undermined if configuration, provisioning, and termination policies are not in place and actively managed.

For example, when issued keys are no longer needed, as in the case when employees leave an organization, IT staff may forget to terminate them. Discovery of such orphaned keys is almost impossible, which creates a risk that they exist on systems that are not closely controlled. If these orphaned keys are unprotected, they can be stolen by a malicious actor, who can then use the still active credentials to access your critical business systems and data.

Dedicated SSH key management solutions using the ssh-agent helper program are available to provision, configure, and terminate keys. Using these solutions is significantly better than managing manually, but this approach requires busy IT staff to use another management tool in addition to their existing security and administrative solutions. Instead, IT teams should use a centralized certificate management solution that automatically manages all PKI-based certificates. Leveraging a singular approach to certificate management allows IT staff to complete all of their key management tasks in one dashboard.

Prediction 2: October 1, 2026, will be the day we hear about certificates breaking the internet

As early as the week of October 1, 2026, expect headlines about unexpected outages as the wave of 6-month SSL certificates issued in March begin to expire. While many Fortune 500 companies may weather the storm and avoid disruption thanks to the adoption of robust Certificate Lifecycle Management, the story will be different for smaller organizations and critical systems further down the chain. While organizations with skilled IT teams might resolve these issues within an hour, smaller businesses could have unknown recovery times. October 1 will be another wake-up call that shorter certificate lifespans demand proactive management or risk making the news for all the wrong reasons.  

Prediction 3: 2026 will be the year of action on post-quantum cryptography (PQC)

2024 was the year the industry woke up to PQC with NIST finalizing the foundational standards, and PQC protection began to quietly roll out across major platforms like Apple iMessage, Cloudflare and Google Chrome. In 2025, enterprises had to begin getting wise to PQC. Facing twin deadlines for PQC migration and shorter certificate lifespans, 90% of organizations allocated budgets and recognized the monumental task ahead: assessing and building cryptographic inventories. 2026 will be the year of execution. With budgets set and the first major certificate lifespan deadline hitting in March, enterprises will pivot from planning to actively implementing cryptographic discovery, pilot PQC rollouts, and the full automation required for crypto-agility. 

Prediction 4: MSPs will play a critical role in keeping businesses below the Fortune 500 secure and operational when it comes to certificate management

With organizations looking to consolidate vendors, MSPs will emerge as the single point of contact, integrating certificate lifecycle management with broader security and risk solutions. Instead of juggling multiple vendors for different pieces of the puzzle, businesses will turn to MSPs to be their strategic partner ensuring continuity and compliance in an increasingly fragmented security landscape. With the proliferation of certificates, along with short certificate maximum term validity, certificate lifecycle management will prove to be a rapidly emerging revenue opportunity for MSPs.

Prediction 5: In 2026, PQC standards will reach maturity

By the end of 2026, we should expect to see formal definitions for PQC versions of all major certificate types. Standards bodies like IETF and the CA/Browser Forum are moving through standardization processes, and SSL/TLS server certificates will be one of the most critical (and controversial) focus areas. Anywhere there’s a TLS handshake, PQC will start appearing, making quantum-safe key exchange the first practical step toward readiness. Traditional PKI architectures struggle with PQC’s large key sizes which has led to the proposal of a new PKI architectures such as  “photosynthesis” led by Google and Cloudflare, which looks to reshape certificate morphology and introduce blockchain-based storage models. 

Prediction 6: AI becomes a practical tool in certificate management

2026 will see AI emerge in adjacent areas of Certificate Lifecycle Management. We can expect AI-powered tools that help organizations locate rogue certificates, predict renewal needs, and streamline compliance. These efficiencies will become critical as certificate volumes grow and lifespans shrink. 

Prediction 7: In 2026, one question will be: “Is this AI model signed and trustworthy?”

The proliferation of Small Language Models (SLMs) running at the edge will force the need to begin model signing in order to secure the integrity of AI components. Think of it as taking the concept of code signing to ensure no one is tampering with code and applying it to a different environment, in this case SLMs. This will dramatically expand the use cases for Certificate Lifecycle Management beyond traditional web infrastructure, making it the central engine for managing digital trust in AI models and ultimately accelerating the adoption of PKI-backed digital identity as a mandatory requirement. 

Prediction 8: Consolidation of security vendors continues

With certificate lifecycles shortening, PQC migration looming, and automation becoming essential, organizations are looking for fewer vendors that can deliver end-to-end identity and trust services. Expect more mergers and acquisitions among PKI, CLM, and broader cybersecurity providers as they race to offer unified platforms and simplify procurement for overstretched IT teams. The consolidation of the solution set and partnerships will be key. 

Prediction 9: Passkeys will surge, but not without missteps

PKI-based passkeys are gaining momentum as governments and tech leaders push for passwordless authentication. Expect broader adoption of WebAuthn and FIDO standards in 2026, especially in business-to-consumer scenarios where mass authentication is critical. However, challenges remain. While passkeys work well for decentralized consumer use cases, in enterprise environments they collide with governance needs. For example: deprecating credentials when employees leave. Without mature lifecycle controls, organizations may implement passkeys in improper contexts, creating new security and operational headaches.  

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