Let’s Encrypt’s IdentTrust DST Root CA X3 certificate expires today, on September 30, and this can be a cause of concern for several Internet users around the world.
The expiration of the Let’s Encrypt’s IdentTrust DST Root CA X3 certification can lead to internet blackout for select users. “DST CA Root X3 we used as a cross-sign is expiring! A small number of subscribers may be affected,” Let’s Encrypt stated in an official tweet ahead of certificate expiration.
This isn’t the first time that an incident like this is happening. Last year on May 30, the AddTrust External CA Root expired and that resulted in a bunch of organisations and people suffer. Similar can be the case this time as well.
Let’s Encrypt has been warning users of certificate expiration for a long time so they upgrade their old OS to the latest ones. So, devices including mobiles, laptops, smart TVs, among others running on an old operating system may get impacted with the certificate expiration.
Once the certificate expires, devices that are not updated will not be able to access the internet.
What is Let’s Encrypt?
Let’s Encrypt is mainly a non-profit organization that issues certificates to encrypt connections between the internet and your device. Whenever you enter a website that starts with HTTPS is a secure one and the credit for the security goes to the IdentTrust DST Root CA X3 certificate. The certificate ensures your data is secure on the internet and prevents hackers from misusing your personal information.
DST CA Root X3 we used as a cross-sign is expiring! A small number of subscribers may be affected. If you need help, please check out our community forum where we are standing by! https://t.co/TzEtaNmC0w
— Let’s Encrypt (@letsencrypt) September 29, 2021
Why is the certificate expiring?
All certificates eventually expire and move to the latest one. So, the issue is not with Let’s Encrypt. The IdenTrust DST Root CA X3 certificate is expiring because all certificates eventually expire and devices running on older OS then they won’t receive the new certificates.
Explaining how these certificates work, scotthelme.co.uk stated, “these certificates are built into your OS and are generally updated as part of the normal process of updating your OS. The certificate in here that is going to cause a problem is this one, the IdenTrust DST Root CA X3.”
Image: Pixaby
Who all will be impacted?
All devices that are not updated on a regular basis to the latest versions will be impacted with the expiration. “The reason we’re having a problem at all is that clients don’t get updated regularly and if the client doesn’t get updated, then the new root CA that replaces the old, expiring root CA is not downloaded onto the device,” scotthelme.co.uk stated. So, if you haven’t updated your device for the longest time, you could face issues accessing the internet starting today.
What to do now?
As per reports, once the certificate expires, all Android devices running on versions older than 7.1.1 will not be able to access the internet. iPhones running on versions older than iOS 10 will be impacted by the certificate expiration.
To ensure that your device is not impacted, check the version it is running on immediately and upgrade it to the latest update right now.
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