This article will delve into the details of the SSL and Client certificates, how they differ, the various stages of the certificate lifecycle and renewal, and how to leverage certificates for your organization.

What are Server (SSL) Certificates?

An SSL certificate is used to authenticate a server’s identity online. Upon installation, the SSL certificate changes the website protocol from HTTP to HTTPS, thus vouching for the website’s authenticity. SSL certificates also facilitate encryption of information, i.e., any information sent by a user to the server is protected from any unauthorized or malicious access by third parties.  

A certificate authority issues an SSL certificate after strict validation, and they are also validated for issuer and server identity match. Once the SSL certificate is verified, a secure communication is initiated between the user and the website. Many kinds of SSL certificates offer validation at different levels. 

You can see SSL certificates for any website easily. In Chrome, you only need to click on the settings toggle to the left of the URL, choose “Connection is secure,” and click “Certificate is Valid” to see the SSL certificate. 

What are Client Certificates? 

 A client certificate is also known as a digital certificate in cryptographic terms. A client certificate is a digital certificate issued to a client (user or device) that contains information and attributes unique to each of them. It is used to authenticate the identity of a user to a remote server. 

Unlike an SSL certificate, a client certificate verifies and validates the identity of an individual user or device accessing a resource, whether that resource is a server, website, application, or more. With a client certificate, the server ensures that it is connecting to the right user and that the user is authorized to access information, applications, and web resources. 

Digital client certificates are more secure than password-based authentication, as passwords can be cracked through brute force and MITM attacks. However, digital certificates are phishing-resistant, making them the best choice for securing highly sensitive information and data in an organization. 

Client certificates also use public key infrastructure (PKI) for authentication, just like Server certificates. However, one significant difference between the two is that SSL certificates validate and secure the communication between servers or servers and clients. In contrast, client certificates are used to validate the client’s identities. 

What is a Certificate Signing Request?

A PKI contains the framework for a certificate signing request (CSR), and it helps users and servers get digital certificates like SSL and  TLS certificates. A CSR is sent to the certificate authority to obtain a digital certificate. It contains the public key, domain name, and the signatures needed for a new certificate. 

The process of signing certificates starts with the client generating a pair of keys known as the private and public keys. The key is then signed with the private key and sent to the certificate authority to generate a digital certificate. Upon verification, the CA sends the certificate to the applicant. 

Certificate Lifecycle Stages

Every certificate goes through various phases throughout its lifespan. While sources may vary on the number of lifecycle phases and their names, these are the more commonly acknowledged lifecycle steps: 

1. Enrollment
2. Distribution
3. Validation
4. Expiration

Enrollment

In the enrollment phase, users or devices request a certificate from the CA and send a public key. This begins the certificate lifecycle process. 

This step can be more complicated than it sounds. Onboarding technology like our self-service configuration application for BYODs/unmanaged devices or our managed device gateways for automatic certificate enrollment for MDMs can streamline the process.

Distribution

The Distribution step happens when the user’s authentication through his identity is confirmed, and his access settings are imbibed onto the certificate. Subsequently, the users are identified to access all the necessary resources.

The three main options to obtain a certificate are manual configuration, admin configuration, or user-friendly onboarding software. If you are a small organization, you can allow an admin to configure users on a network. However, it would be labor-intensive for bigger organizations. Onboarding software that lets users self-enroll for certificates, like the JoinNow onboarding suite, enables users to self-enroll for a certificate quickly with a few clicks. The user must confirm his identity and the client handles the enrollment. Thus, a managed device receives a certificate in just a few clicks. 

Validation

The validation is the most significant part of the certificate management lifecycle. Authentication of a certificate daily takes place at this stage. How that authentication is handled varies by the certificate.

For an SSL certificate, validation occurs when a user/client connects to a server or website. A secure site will have an SSL certificate to present to the client, including its public key.  

SecureW2 also provides the option of performing Dynamic RADIUS authentication. Dynamic RADIUS authentication allows users to update their permissions in the IDP where they need updated permissions, say when they have been promoted. This applies directly to the RADIUS to authenticate with the updated certificate.

Expiration

Certificates expire after a set time determined by the organization. A foolproof and effective solution like SecureW2 provides automated expiration notifications so a certificate won’t expire suddenly, leaving the network vulnerable to hackers. An expired certificate cannot be used to authenticate, so it must be renewed on time. However, specific certificates need revocation before they expire. 

SecureW2 provides a Certificate Revocation List (CRL), an updated list of certificates revoked from accessing the network from time to time. The CRL ensures that there aren’t any unaccounted certificates that could be used for malicious purposes. 

Why Should You Renew SSL Certificates?

SSL certificate renewal keeps the encryption of your website safe. SSL certificates encode an expiration date on them and warn users about the website upon expiration. Here are some reasons to renew SSL certificates when they reach the expiration date:

1. You should renew your SSL certificate as it helps keep the certificate ecosystem safe from constantly evolving threats. This allows for using the most up-to-date designed algorithms, considering the most recent threats.
2. The process of private key rotation becomes seamless when you renew your SSL  certificate at a shorter interval. This helps avoid incidents of compromise of private keys.
3. When you renew SSL certificates within a defined period, it helps validate your website’s identity. It also ensures that the encryption used is the current one that can keep your data and network secure.
4. An expired SSL certificate can long impact your network security and business if it is not renewed. In the case of client certificates, it can cause significant network outages that can leave your network compromised.
5. When an SSL certificate expires,  users trying to access the network will encounter security warnings such as, “Your connection is not private.” This can often lead to losing your customers’ trust, eventually impacting the business.

How do you renew the SSL/TLS certificate for your website?

How you generate a new SSL certificate depends on where you got the certificate and what it’s used for. If the SSL certificate is used for your organization’s own private web servers, a managed private PKI like SecureW2’s can automate the renewal process for you entirely. We can even integrate with server management platforms such as Ansible, Rudder, or Puppet to automatically issue certificates to your web servers. 

But suppose your organization needs to generate a new SSL certificate for an external, public-facing function, such as a website. In that case, you’ll need to purchase a new one from the public Certificate Authority of your choice. You can find documentation on how to do so here. 

How Does a Browser Authenticate SSL/TLS Certificates?

A website sends its SSL/TLS certificate to a browser to authenticate its web pages. The browser checks the following:

• The integrity of the certificate as per its digital signature to prove that it originated from a legitimate server.
• Validity to ensure the certificate is still active.
• Revocation status from the Certificate Revocation List (CRL).

Upon verification, the browser and server initiate a TLS handshake to encrypt the connection. This ensures no malicious threat actors can get access, and the user can safely access the webpage. 

Certificate Management System for Automating Certificate Renewal Process

Certificate renewal is essential to certificate lifecycle management, as explained above. However, this can often be challenging if the lifecycle has to be managed manually. Suppose you want to enhance your network security by renewing certificates later. Doing it manually can be a nightmare, especially in an enterprise network.

Using a certificate management system (CMS) to automate the entire certificate lifecycle management process can help make it a more efficient ecosystem. The effectiveness of certificates as electronic credentials depends on the strength of the infrastructure used to manage the certificate’s lifecycle.

SecureW2 Certificate Authorities & Renewal Solutions

Companies usually shy away from shifting to certificate-based authentication because of the complexity of certificate management and the cost involved with managing a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which is the very foundation for deploying digital certificates.

SecureW2 has one of the best-managed cloud-based PKI solutions that can be easily deployed with no fuss. Our team of experts can help you set it up within hours.

Our certificate management systems (CMS) are developed as an intuitive single-pane management interface that allows you to monitor and manage the entire cycle. You can customize the solution to best suit your needs. Click here to find out more about our pricing.

The post Certificate Renewal: SSL and Client Certs appeared first on SecureW2.

Passwords can make these considerations complicated. Password mismanagement contributes to many password-related issues such as storing passwords in Excel or on sticky notes, forgetting credentials, or sharing credentials. This doesn’t mean the access has to be made complicated, but that the access method just needs to follow security policies.

Here is where Identity and Access Management (IAM) comes into play. The right IAM tools can help you protect access to company resources on a broad scale, which is why we’ll be providing you a list of popular IAM tools here.

Security Starts with IAM

IAM encompasses policies, standards, and functions for organizations to manage identity and protect access to resources in a digital environment.  It balances the concepts of data security and provides access to those who need the secure data. It is the epicenter of secure IT infrastructure.

To accomplish the goal of ensuring company resources aren’t accessed by unauthorized parties, users are identified, authorized, and authenticated via various technologies. With advanced technology like MFA, organizations can automatically recognize a fake user.

Over four billion personal records such as email and passwords were exposed in 2019. The scope of IAM will continue to expand with the increasing complexity of data breaches.

It’s not surprising that there are numerous IAM tools available to administrators today. However, not all IAM tools are robust, or created for the same need and may not meet the requirements for modern, digital Identity and Access Management.

What Can You Use For IAM?

RADIUS

A RADIUS server provides centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) management for users who connect and use a network service. RADIUS identifies a user by verifying the user’s identity against an identity provider. It can authenticate requests using a number of different authentication protocols, though the most common ones are: 

• EAP-TLS
• PEAP-MSCHAPv2
• EAP-TTLS/PAP

This unified process dramatically increases the security of your network because users connect with their own unique set of credentials, not some SSID and password written on a whiteboard.

Our Cloud RADIUS can passwordlessly authenticate users with digital certificates to protect your organization from credential theft. It is designed for modern cloud directories such as Google, Okta, and Azure AD for dynamic policy enforcement based on user attributes  through real-time Identity Lookup that occurs during authentication.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

Passwords are a big problem that you may not know about.  The majority data breaches are caused by stolen, default, or weak passwords. Aside from the security risks inherent with password mismanagement, passwords can also cause more work for your IT/support departments. This can be the case if employees forget passwords and need to submit tickets for help regaining access to their resources. Luckily, X.509 digital certificates solve all these issues. Certificates offer so much more than credentials:

• Best security
• Stores user context, not just identity
• Eliminates password reset policy
• Automatic authentication
• Superior user experience
• Cost-effective
• Reduces IT tickets

But you need a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to issue and manage these certificates, which can be difficult unless you have a Managed PKI.

Our Managed PKI allows you to create certificates and provides the foundation for secure and passwordless Wi-Fi, VPN, Single-Sign On, and much more – all in a convenient centralized location. Forget the setup challenges, JoinNow Connector PKI is designed to be an extension of your favorite cloud environment, automating certificate enrollment and revocation based on real-time data from your Cloud Identity.

Fig: JoinNow Connector PKI/ JoinNow Cloud RADIUS Designed for Your Cloud Identity

Cloud Directory

A directory service is a centralized database where you can store and maintain information about customers, employees, and partners such as usernames, passwords, user preferences, information about devices, and more. It also supports authentication services such as LDAP.

They are useful to manage access privileges to organizational resources. For example,  your employee is authenticated using the directory services for privileges and permissions, every time an application access is requested.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

VPNs provide an encrypted tunnel that safeguards traffic from unauthorized third-party viewers. It’s common for employers to require remote employees to use it because it can protect company resources that are being accessed remotely. Additionally, the VPN itself can be protected by an authentication mechanism such as digital certificates.

In this sense, VPNs are an extraordinarily useful tool. Organizations create secure connections between remote workers and the on-prem network to help employees navigate to the systems, files, or applications that they needed.

Onboarding Software

How will you ensure your users are onboarded well and have access to everything that they need? Onboarding software gives users anywhere-anytime enrollment. It is a key layer in the IAM solution. It is an automated system guided by a wizard, that eliminates the risk of administrators overlooking important steps or keeping new users/employees off the system. The data captured during the process are used to provide strong security moving forward. This software help users quickly enroll without assistance, saving the organization helpdesk resources, and avoiding credential theft as the software addresses user errors.

Our JoinNow MultiOS onboards users with BYODS/unmanaged devices  in just a few clicks for secure passwordless authentication. If the company uses MDMs, our gateway APIs can automatically configure their managed devices for certificates. dramatically reducing misconfigurations.

Guest Network

In today’s digital era, the challenge of offering convenience without compromising security has long vexed IT staff. A guest network is a good compromise – it provides network access to visiting users without forcing them to configure their devices for the authentication standards you use on your primary network. Of course, guest networks have other benefits too;  malware that ended up on a guest’s smartphone will not be able to get into your office document or other important files.

Another reason why guest networks are useful is that not all devices can meet the same security standards. Some IoTs can’t store certificates, for example guest networks can be used for those devices that can’t do certificate-based authentication.

After years of working closely with our clients, we listened to their needs and developed a robust and fully featured guest access. Our JoinNow NetAuth  delivers scalable guest wireless that enables institutions of all sizes to deliver the most flexible solution for both encrypted and unencrypted guest networks. Additionally, users can “sponsor” visitors with our NetAuth which means your IT helpdesk doesn’t need to personally provide access to every guest. Users can temporarily grant guests access.

Firewall

With the increasing number of cybercrimes, there is a growing requirement for security. However, there are many challenges to implementing the security in question.

A firewall is one such security method that can help organizations safeguard their networks and devices from snooping outsiders. It monitors, and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Furthermore, it establishes a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external network, such as the Internet. 

Cloud RADIUS Rooted In IAM

IAM is a pillar of security, it provides the framework for defense you need against various threats. It gives the ability to see everything related to your network at a glance – user  authentication events, anomalous requests, resource usage stats, etc. Therefore, IAM tools are very much needed for an efficient IT environment in addition to the high security it offers.  

We are proud of our Cloud RADIUS and PKI Suite which includes an impressive array of identity and access management tools.

You can use your favourite cloud directory such as Google, Okta, and Azure because our Cloud RADIUS is compatible with all SAML-based cloud directories. The best part is passwordless certificate-based authentication with your IDP. Certificates offer much more context than just identity, the user attributes stored on certificates are used for policy enforcement, so you can employ dynamic access at the moment of authentication.

Our next popular IAM tool is JoinNow MultiOS – an automatic 802.1X onboarding solution rated #1 (in each app store) for its ability to protect your unmanaged devices/BYODs and eliminate misconfiguration.

Want to setup your IAM? SecureW2 has affordable options for organizations of all sizes. Click here to see our pricing. 

The post 7 Critical IAM Tools appeared first on SecureW2.