Critical Update Survive the Drastic 47-Day TLS Certificate Lifespan Cut—What Admins Must Do Now

Problem Description

Browser manufacturers and Certificate Authorities (CAs) have agreed to drastically reduce the maximum validity period of public SSL/TLS server certificates from 398 days (about 13 months) to just 47 days by March 15, 2029. This change is being phased in over several years and will require significant adjustments to certificate management practices for all organizations relying on public TLS certificates.

Timeline for Certificate Validity Reduction

• By 2029, certificates will need to be renewed about every 1.5 months (8 times per year).
• Domain Control Validation (DCV) reuse will also be limited to just 10 days.

Why Is This Happening?

• Security: Shorter certificate lifespans reduce the window of exposure if a certificate is compromised, and ensure that cryptographic standards and domain ownership are kept current.
• Automation Push: Manual certificate management will become impractical, pushing organizations to adopt automated certificate lifecycle management tools.
• Industry Consensus: The CA/Browser Forum, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and major CAs, unanimously supported this move to bolster the reliability of the global web PKI.

Impact on Administrators

Negative Sentiment: This change introduces a significant burden for administrators, especially those managing large fleets of certificates or lacking automation.

• Manual Renewals Become Impossible: Renewing certificates every 47 days by hand is not feasible.
• Automation Is Now Essential: Organizations must implement automated certificate issuance, renewal, and deployment workflows (e.g., using ACME protocol and tools like Certbot, Certify The Web, or managed CLM platforms).
• Increased Monitoring: Systems must be set up to monitor certificate expiry and renewal failures to avoid service outages.
• No Extra Cost for Shorter Certificates: Multi-year certificate plans will still be available, but you must re-issue certificates within the new, shorter validity windows.

Solution & Recommendations: Immediate Steps for Administrators

Step 1: Inventory All Certificates

Identify every public-facing TLS certificate in your environment.

Step 2: Assess Current Renewal Processes

Determine which certificates are renewed manually and which are automated.

Step 3: Implement Automation

Deploy automated certificate management solutions (e.g., ACME clients like Certbot, Certify The Web, or enterprise CLM platforms).

Ensure your automation covers issuance, validation, deployment, and monitoring.

Step 4: Update Policies and Procedures

Revise internal documentation to reflect new renewal frequencies.

Train staff on new processes.

Step 5: Monitor and Alert

Set up monitoring and alerting for certificate expiry and renewal failures to prevent outages.

Step 6: Test Your Automation

Regularly test your automation workflows to ensure reliability.

Example: Certificate Renewal Automation Workflow

# Example: Automating renewal with Certbot (Let's Encrypt)
sudo certbot renew --deploy-hook "systemctl reload nginx"

Key Takeaways

• Act now: Begin planning and deploying automation for certificate management immediately.
• Stay informed: Follow updates from your CA and browser vendors.
• Be proactive: Test and monitor your systems to avoid outages and compliance issues.

“This is a fundamental shift that will require organizations to rethink their certificate management approach and strategies.” — The SSL Store

By embracing automation and updating your management processes, you can turn this challenging transition into an opportunity to improve security and reliability across your infrastructure.