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Some certificates that are listed in the previous tables have expired. However, these certificates are necessary for backward compatibility. Even if there's an expired trusted root certificate, anything that was signed by using that certificate before the expiration date requires that the trusted root certificate is validated. In the event you are unable to download the trusted Verisign certificate, see Exporting the Root CA Certificate From the Java Keystore for alternate instructions. Import the Root CA certificate from the temporary file to the package keystore. DigiCert PKI Platform. Secure yourself against unauthorized access, email compromise, and document tampering with our enterprise tested, cloud-based PKI.

A Certification Authority (CA) is an organization that browser vendors (like Mozilla) trust to issue certificates to websites. Last year, Mozilla published and discussed a set of issues with one of the oldest and largest CAs run by Symantec. The discussion resulted in the adoption of a consensus proposal to gradually remove trust in all Symantec TLS/SSL certificates from Firefox. The proposal includes a number of phases designed to minimize the impact of the change to Firefox users:

• January 2018 (Firefox 58): Notices in the Browser Console warn about Symantec certificates issued before 2016-06-01, to encourage site owners to replace their TLS certificates.
• May 2018 (Firefox 60): Websites will show an untrusted connection error if they use a TLS certificate issued before 2016-06-01 that chains up to a Symantec root certificate.
• October 2018 (Firefox 63): Distrust of Symantec root certificates for website server TLS authentication.

After the consensus proposal was adopted, the Symantec CA was acquired by DigiCert; however, that fact has not changed Mozilla’s commitment to implement the proposal.

Firefox 60 is expected to enter Beta on March 13th carrying with it the removal of trust for Symantec certificates issued prior to June 1st, 2016, with the exception of certificates issued by a few subordinate CAs that are controlled by Apple and Google. This change affects all Symantec brands including GeoTrust, RapidSSL, Thawte, and VeriSign. The change is already in effect in Firefox Nightly.

Mozilla telemetry currently shows that a significant number of sites – roughly 1% of the top one million – are still using TLS certificates that are no longer trusted in Firefox 60. While the number of affected sites has been declining steadily, we do not expect every website to be updated prior to the Beta release of Firefox 60. We strongly encourage operators of affected sites to take immediate action to replace these certificates.

If you attempt to visit a site that is using a TLS certificate that is no longer trusted in Firefox 60, you will encounter the following error:

Clicking on the “Advanced” button will allow you to bypass the error and reach the site:

These changes are expected to be included in the final version of Firefox 60 that is planned to be release on May 9th, 2018.

In Firefox 63, trust will be removed for all Symantec TLS certificates regardless of the date issued (with the exception of certificates issued by Apple and Google subordinate CAs as described above).

Wayne Thayer
Kathleen Wilson

The Microsoft Trusted Root Program no longer supports root certificates that have kernel mode signing capabilities.

For policy requirements, see Windows 10 Kernel Mode Code Signing Requirements.

Existing cross-signed root certificates with kernel mode code signing capabilities will continue working until expiration.As a result, all software publisher certificates, commercial release certificates, and commercial test certificates that chain back to these root certificates also become invalid on the same schedule. To get your driver signed, first Register for the Windows Hardware Dev Center program.

Frequently asked questions

What is the expiration schedule of the trusted cross-certificates?

The majority of cross-signed root certificates will expire in 2021, according to the following schedule:

What alternatives to cross-signed certificates are available for testing drivers?

For all options below, the TESTSIGNING boot option must be enabled.

For testing drivers at boot, see How to Install a Test-signed Driver Required for Windows Setup and Boot.

For more info, see Signing drivers during development and test.

What will happen to my existing signed driver packages?

As long as driver packages are timestamped before the expiration date of the leaf signing certificate, they will continue working.

Is there a way to run production driver packages without exposing it to Microsoft?

No, all production driver packages must be submitted to, and signed by Microsoft.

Does every new Production version of a driver package need to be signed by Microsoft?

Yes, every time a Production level driver package is rebuilt, it must be signed by Microsoft.

Will we continue to be able to sign non-driver code with our existing 3rd party issued certificates after 2021?

Yes, these certificates will continue to work until they expire. Code which is signed using these certificates will only be able to run in user mode, and will not be allowed to run in the kernel, unless it has a valid Microsoft signature.

Will I be able to continue using my EV certificate for signing submissions to Hardware Dev Center?

Yes, EV certificates will continue to work until they expire. If you sign a kernel-mode driver with an EV certificate after the expiration of the cross-certificate that issued that EV certificate, the resulting driver will not load, run, or install.

How do I know if my signing certificate will be impacted by these expirations?

If your Cross Certificate Chain ends in Microsoft Code Verification Root, your signing certificate is affected.

To view the cross certificate chain, run signtool verify /v /kp <mydriver.sys>. For example:

How can we automate Microsoft Test Signing to work with our build processes?

Download Verisign Root Certificates App

Your build processes can call the Hardware Dev Center API.

For samples that show usage, see the Surface Dev Center Manager repository.

Starting in 2021, will Microsoft be the sole provider of production kernel mode code signatures?

Download Verisign Root Certificate G5

Yes.

Hardware Dev Center doesn't provide driver signing for Windows XP, how can I have my drivers run in XP?

Drivers can still be signed with a 3rd party issued code signing certificate. However, the certificate that signed the driver must be imported into the Local Computer Trusted Publishers certificate store on the target computer. See Trusted Publishers Certificate Store for more information.

How do production signing options differ by Windows version?

If you have challenges signing your driver with WHQL, please report the specifics using one of the following:

• Use the Microsoft Collaborate portal, available through the Microsoft Partner Center Dashboard, to create a feedback bug.
• Go to Windows hardware engineering support, select the Contact us tab, and in the Developer support topic dropdown, select HLK/HCK. Then select Submit an incident.

Will I be able to continue signing drivers with a certificate that chains to a cross-cert that expires after July 1, 2021?

Download Verisign Root Certificates Download

No, kernel-mode drivers must be signed with a WHQL signature after July 1st, 2021. You cannot use a certificate that chains to a cross-cert that expires after July 1, 2021 to sign kernel-mode drivers. Using these certificates to sign kernel-mode drivers after this date is a violation of the Microsoft Trusted Root Program (TRP) policy. Certificates in violation of Microsoft TRP policies will be revoked by the CA. Additional certificates may be present on the kernel-mode driver, however Windows ignores those signatures for the purpose of validating the driver.

Download Verisign Root Certificate

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