Last Updated on 13/03/2022 by Nidhi Khandelwal
The Russian government has set up its own TLS certificate authority (CA) to address website access challenges that have emerged as a result of western sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s illegal military invasion of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Digital Development is expected to provide a domestic solution to handle the issuing and renewal of TLS certificates if they are revoked or expired, according to a notice posted on the Gosuslugi public services portal.
The service is available to all legal businesses operating in Russia, and certifications are issued to site owners within 5 working days upon request.
TLS certificates connect a cryptographic key to an organization’s details digitally, allowing web browsers to verify the domain’s legitimacy and enable safe communication between a client computer and the destination website.
The suggestion comes as Western governments have imposed restrictions on companies like DigiCert, preventing them from doing business in Russia. “Due to the thorough checks required for private organizations and individuals, validation of Russian orders may take longer to process; however, we are able to offer all items to this country,” the company added in a revised alert.
What’s unclear is whether web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari will recognise the certificates issued by the new Russian certificate authority, allowing for secure connections to certified servers to function as planned.
