Important changes S/MIME
As of September 1, 2023, a new standard for issuing S/MIME certificates will take effect. The new regulations will define the minimum requirements that each Certification Center must meet in order to issue trusted certificates. The policy being implemented is aimed at optimizing the process of their issuance and enhancing the security and reliability of the User.
Biggest changes:
- Introduction of new product variants offering various data ranges in the certificate for a variety of applications
- Adjusting the scope of verification depending on the data in the certificate
- Shortening the validity period of certificates to 2 years
- Improving and optimizing the release process
Due to the change in requirements and the establishment of a new policy, we would like to inform you that as of July 25, 2023, the new “Certum S/MIME” certificates will be available on Certum’s offerings, including the Certum store. The new certificates will replace E-Mail ID (S/MIME) and have been produced to completely comply with current regulations and optimize the way they are ordered by the end customer.
Learn about Certum’s new S/MIME certificates
Certum S/MIME are popular and easy-to-use digital signatures designed to automatically sign and encrypt messages. They make it possible to confirm the identity of the Sender and secure the e-mails sent against their possible leakage or modification.
With Certum S/MIME, you can get the following:
- personal safety certificate,
- confidence that no one has tampered with the content and attachments of your email,
- guarantee of correspondence confidentiality,
- ability to verify the certificate and the origin of the message,
- trust of recipients.
Build credibility and take care of your online privacy. Verify and confirm personal and company data. Choose secure communication with customers, clients and within your organization. Choose a variant tailored to your needs and gain a new dimension of security.
Below are the Certum SMIME variants and the range of data they will cover:
- Certum S/MIME Mailbox – basic certificate that authorizes the User’s email address.
- Have you ordered E-mail ID Individual (S/MIME) before? – this variant is for you!
- Certum S/MIME Individual – named certificate, authorizing the User’s name.
- Have you ordered Email ID Business (S/MIME) for your name information before? – this variant is for you!
- Certum S/MIME Sponsor – email address, first and last name and organization where the User works
- o Have you ordered Email ID Business (S/MIME) for your name-brand information before? – this variant is for you!
- Certum S/MIME Organization – email address and the company where their Users work
- Have you previously ordered Email ID Business (S/MIME) for company data? – this variant is for you!
Why are requirements so important?
Trusted S/MIME certificates (short for: Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) can only be issued by Certification Centers. Certification Centers play a huge role in the ecosystem of digital certificate operations, such as SSL, Code Signing and electronic signatures. They are responsible for both the issuance process and for verifying the identity of individuals or companies applying for the certificate.
Certification Centers, together with browsers and operating systems such as Microsoft and Apple, form a consortium called the CA/Browser Forum (CAB Forum). Together they establish guidelines and best practices for issuing, verifying and managing digital certificates. They respond to the need to standardize, unify and establish industry best practices for digital certificates. First of all, they establish and develop the so-called “Baseline Requirements”, which define the minimum requirements for issuing publicly trusted certificates, including S/MIME. Thus, their Users can be assured of their security and interoperability on email platforms and applications such as outlook, gmail etc. The CAB Forum’s guidelines and recommendations significantly affect the security of digital certificates on the Internet. Only Certification Centers, such as Certum by Asseco, that follow the requirements set forth in the procedures can issue trusted and reliable certificates.
