Future Hosting Warns Of The Imminent Deprecation Of SHA–1 By Browser Makers

Southfield, MI (PRWEB)May 31, 2016 - Future Hosting, a leading provider of VPS and dedicated server hosting, has advised eCommerce merchants and site owners to use SSL / TLS certificates signed using the SHA–2 hashing algorithm. The warning comes in light of recent announcements by Microsoft (as reported in Ars Technica on May 4, 2016) and other browser makers that they will no longer consider SHA–1 signed certificates sufficient for identity validation.

Identity validation is an important function of SSL / TLS certificates used to secure online communication. Certificate Authorities are tasked with validating the identity of certificate applicants and signing a hash of certificates with their private key. Browsers are able to verify the hash and the signature, which was considered sufficient to validate the identity of the certificate and its domain.

"It’s quite unlikely that an attacker could generate a hash collision for an SHA–1 hash, but out of an abundance of caution, browser makers have decided that SHA–1-signed certificates are not reliable,” said Maulesh Patel, VP of Operations of Future Hosting, “Over the next few months, browsers will stop trusting these certs — they’ll still work, but users will not be given the visual indications of security they’re used to, and may eventually receive warnings.”

In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that the hashing algorithm often used digitally sign certificates is not sufficiently secure. Identity validation depends on the extremely low probability that a third-party could generate a hash matching that of a signed certificate. It has been demonstrated that with modern computing technology, the chances of such a hash collision are high enough to reduce confidence in the validity of certificates.

Future Hosting advises eCommerce merchants and site owners to have certificates signed using the SHA–1 hash algorithm regenerated, and to ensure that any future certificates are signed using the more secure SHA–2 algorithm.

About Future Hosting, LLC

Founded in 2001, Future Hosting is a privately held leading Internet solutions provider specializing in managed hosting, including Dedicated Servers, Virtual Private Servers, and Hybrid Virtual Private Servers. The company has built a strong reputation for its high-quality service, innovative pricing models, and 3-hour Service Level Agreement. Future Hosting is based in Southfield, Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.futurehosting.com