Why Choose Software for Certificate Scanning Over Manual Methods?

Let us consider a scenario where the CEO of a major e-commerce site gets a call that says, “Sales have started to drop because the site’s SSL certificate expired, leading to security warnings for customers.” Within the next few hours, customer trust is broken, and the company’s revenue is affected. These kinds of errors occur more frequently than we realize. Could this have been prevented? Absolutely! How? By using automated certificate scanning software. 

In fact, the average cost of a data breach involving SSL/TLS certificate mismanagement can reach $3.86 million, as per the IBM Security 2020 Cost of a Data Breach Report. This report highlights the significant financial impact of missing certificate expirations or security misconfiguration. 

Automated certificate scanning helps to minimize this by enhancing security, reducing the risk of outages, and achieving compliance. In this article, we will go through why switching from manual tracking to automated scanning is a wise decision and essential for protecting your company’s sensitive information. 

To do so, we first need to understand what certificate scanning is.   

Certificate scanning is a process of monitoring digital certificates to ensure their validity and configurations within the network. It is like verifying the identity of a person before letting them enter your building; you want to be sure that the person entering is who he claims to be.  

Likewise, certificate scanning also checks for encryption keys, SSL/TLS certificates, and related information, such as who issued them and when they are going to expire, to ensure all the certificates within your network are valid.  

This can be done manually, but it is recommended to use an automated solution as it saves time and reduces the amount of effort required to ensure that everything is secure.   

Why is the manual approach not preferred?

The manual approach to certificate management is not ideal due to several key challenges and limitations. Here’s why relying on automation is a much better option: 

• Risk of Missing Out Systems

  You will have to manually list all the servers, applications, and devices that use digital certificates within your network. Missing a single device can expose your organization to various threats, such as unencrypted data transmission and increased vulnerability to interception and tampering. 

• Verifying and Viewing Certificates

  This is done manually using OpenSSL and other command line tools, which makes it very time-consuming, especially in large networks. Each certificate must be checked individually, including details such as the issuer, expiration date, and common name (CN). This manual process is not only labor-intensive but also prone to human errors.  

• Entering Data into a Database

  You will have to enter all the collected data into a database since it will not be done automatically. Manual entry increases the risk of data inaccuracies, such as incorrect expiration dates, which could result in overlooked renewals.

• Setting up Precautions

  You will have to manually set up calendar alerts or reminders to notify you of impending expirations. However, solely relying on these reminders is risky, especially when there are multiple certificates, and they all expire at different times. If any reminder or alert gets missed, then it could lead to disruptions in the smooth functioning of your infrastructure.

• Periodic Review

  You will need to set up a schedule to periodically review the spreadsheet and check if any of the installed certificates have expired. However, if this review is missed, there is a risk that an expired certificate could go unnoticed, leading to potential security vulnerabilities or service outages.

• Manual-driven Renewal

  You will have to manually initiate the renewal process for expired certificates to ensure that all expired certificates are updated in the system. However, if this step is missed, expired certificates will continue to be used, which could result in security breaches, service interruptions, and potential non-compliance with industry standards.

• Vulnerability Assessment

  You will have to manually assess certificates for security configurations like outdated algorithms. Manually detecting issues like weak cipher suites, protocol downgrade vulnerabilities, incomplete certificate chains, and insufficient key lengths is challenging due to their complexity and potential for oversight across multiple systems.  

• Compile Reports and Distribute Information

  You will need to manually summarize any issues found and the status of certificates in the form of a report. These reports are then shared with the IT security team for necessary actions. However, this can be a time-consuming task and prone to errors, especially when dealing with a large number of certificates. If reports are delayed or not communicated properly, it could lead to missed expirations or unresolved security issues, which may create vulnerabilities and affect the overall reliability of the system.

It is clear from the above considerations that the traditional method is extremely inefficient and time-consuming, especially for larger organizations that deal with multiple certificates. Without automation, the risk of human error increases significantly as the volume of certificates grows, making it impossible to ensure timely renewals and security compliance across the board. These manual efforts can be easily prevented with automated certificate management, as it will automatically monitor all certificates, alerting the team before any expiration occurs and allowing for smooth functioning throughout the system.   

How is automated certificate scanning different from manual scanning?

1. Certificate Discovery

   • Network Scanning: This will help carry out automatic certificate scanning. You will not be engaged in manual scanning of the network and making tireless efforts to produce a list of all the devices that use certificates. Rather, the software will linearly scan the whole network to locate all systems and devices that use digital certificates. Even the hidden or less frequently accessed systems that might have been overlooked during the manual process will also be listed automatically.

   • Inventory Creation: After scanning the network, it gathers all the certificates being used across the system. This inventory provides a comprehensive database of certificate details, including their locations and usage, making it easier to manage and track them efficiently.

2. Information Gathering

   • Automatic Retrieval: The system automatically extracts key details from each certificate, such as the issuer, expiration date, and security configurations, including algorithms and encryption levels, saving time and reducing the chance of human error.  

   • Central Management Interface: With automated mode, the information that is needed by the users can be more conveniently accessed using a simple layout of the central dashboard.  

3. Continuous Tracking

   • Instant alerts: As part of the system, alerts such as notifications for expiring certificates, certificates using deprecated algorithms, or mismatched issuer names. It will be triggered to warn the concerned authorities about the potential threats or security risks they are likely to be facing.  

   • Regular Scans: It will periodically analyze the entire system to update administrators on any changes made to the status of certificates. 

4. Reporting

   • Automated Reports: With automated mode, detailed reports will be generated, which offer insights into certificate health, expiration dates, compliance status, and security configurations. These reports allow teams to quickly identify areas that may need attention, such as certificates nearing expiration or those failing compliance checks. 

   • Summary Dashboards: Graphical dashboards give a quick overview of the number and status of certificates present in the system.  

5. Remediation

   • Renewal Process: It can initiate renewal processes for expiring certificates or prompt administrators to act before anything goes wrong.

   • Integration with Systems: Some of the solutions available in the market today also integrate with existing management and certificate authority systems, enabling the automation of certificate deployment and renewal processes across your network.

Some of the solutions available in the market today also integrate with Therefore, by automating these processes, organizations can maintain better security, reduce the chances of outages, and ensure compliance with minimal manual effort.    

Common Concerns about Automated Certificate Scanning

While automated certificate scanning offers numerous benefits, some organizations may hesitate to make the transition from manual methods due to some concerns. 

• One of the major concerns is the upfront cost of implementation. It can appear to be a notable investment at the beginning. However, when you think about the potential costs of data breaches, service interruptions, and security incidents caused by expired certificates, it quickly becomes clear that the cost of not automating could be much higher.

• Another worry is how difficult the configuration of setting up automation is, but most modern solutions are designed to integrate easily with your existing systems, and vendors usually provide support to ensure a smooth transition. 

• Some organizations may stress whether automated tools will be flexible enough to meet the unique needs of their organization. Fortunately, many automated solutions offer customization options that can be tailored to your organization’s specific requirements.  

• Lastly, there are concerns about job replacement, but what automation actually does is empower the existing activity of the security team. As a result, rather than going through the hassle of dealing with the manual issuance of certificates, security professionals can focus more on the challenging aspects of their work.  

By addressing these concerns, it becomes clear how automated certificate scanning can simplify processes while delivering real value. Beyond just saving time, it helps cut costs, boosts efficiency, and is surprisingly easy to use. Once the initial setup is done, the long-term benefits far outweigh the worries, making it a smart move for organizations looking to stay secure and compliant without the hassle. 

Key Benefits of Automation 

• Proactive Strategy

  A proactive strategy is crucial for staying ahead in a competitive environment. Organizations can maintain a strong security framework across the system by automating the certificate scanning process proactively by detecting potential issues such as expired certificates or misconfigured certificates and addressing them before they introduce any vulnerabilities.  As per the IBM Security 2020 Cost of a Data Breach Report, proactive security measures can reduce the likelihood of a data breach by up to 30%.

• Real-Time Monitoring

  Automated systems provide continuous monitoring and instant alerts for expiring or vulnerable certificates, allowing for proactive management. This helps prevent costly outages and security breaches by addressing potential problems before they escalate.

• Effectiveness

  By quickly scanning the entire network and identifying the certificates without any human intervention, it saves a huge amount of time and manual effort. 

• Centralized Management

  All certificate data is aggregated into a single dashboard using certificate scanning software, which makes it easier to manage, analyze, and navigate. This is especially helpful for large teams as they can cut down supervision, manual tracking, and chances of making mistakes. This centralized view makes it easier to manage everything as it takes a short amount of time to assess the state of the certificates and identify areas of concern, such as when some certificates are about to expire or when there are certificates that are at risk and proactively address them, which is crucial for maintaining security across a large number of assets.

• Enhanced Accuracy

  The software reduces the chances of human error by capturing every certificate detail like renewal, expiration, etc., making sure that no certificates are missed and that the data remains consistently accurate.

• Scalability

  As organizations grow, the number of certificates can increase significantly. Automated tools can scale effortlessly to handle large volumes of certificates, unlike manual methods. 

• Reporting Capabilities

  Presenting data to audit teams and stakeholders becomes easier by using automated technologies that produce thorough, customizable reports on certificate status.

• Compliance

  Many software solutions include features to ensure that the certificates meet the best practices and regulatory standards like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, NIST, and GDPR, thus simplifying compliance efforts.

• Integration

  The overall security posture can be improved by integrating a variety of certificate scanning systems with the current security tools and processes like SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) platforms, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS), and Vulnerability Scanners to mitigate system vulnerabilities.

Real World Example: Ericsson’s Global Outage(2018)

In December 2018, Ericsson suffered a large-scale service outage that affected many telecommunication networks in various countries, including the UK and Japan. Ericsson later identified that the reason for this outage was the expired TLS certificates within their network. These certificates were manually controlled with little to no alert mechanisms, resulting in software failure and critical service outages. 

The outcome of this incident had a lot of effects. Millions of users lost their mobile and data services for hours. This resulted in serious inconvenience to users. Telecom operators who relied on Ericsson’s infrastructure suffered financial and reputational damage. This incident also drew severe criticism toward Ericsson. This highlighted the risks of manual certificate management within a complex and large-scale infrastructure.   

Ericsson, along with the telecom providers, acted promptly to manage certificate lifecycles using an automated system. They set up automated processes that would monitor, issue, renew, and revoke certificates from their network systems. In an attempt to reduce outages, real-time alerts of expiring certificates were introduced to notify teams so that proactive measures could be taken. Moreover, during their DevOps practice, automation was incorporated to use certificates more efficiently during deployments. 

The shift to automated management of certificates turned out to be beneficial. The risk of unnoticed expirations was eliminated, along with the assurance of uninterrupted service. This further improved operational effectiveness by freeing teams from manual tracking and allowing them to focus on strategic tasks. The enhanced visibility also improved security by addressing vulnerabilities in real time.  

This incident serves as a critical lesson on the importance of proactive and automated certificate management. It demonstrates that relying on manual processes in large-scale systems can lead to catastrophic failures, while automation ensures reliability, security, and operational resilience.   

How can Encryption Consulting help?

CertSecure Manager by Encryption Consulting has a direct application in managing the entire life cycle of digital certificates through automation of issue, renewal, monitoring, and revocation processes. It reduces risks from human error, whether certificate expirations or misconfigured installations that cause loss of service or potential security threats. The solution fits anywhere from cloud environments to Kubernetes clusters to on-premises IT systems, enabling convenient provisioning.  

It also provides real-time alerts, reporting, and intelligent insights through which you can remain on top of your certificate infrastructure and proactively resolve issues. It frees your team from a lot of administrative tasks that traditionally have taken time out of their schedules to concentrate on other critical matters without compromising security and compliance. Whether small or big, CertSecure Manager is the reliable and scalable approach to strengthening your strategy for managing certificates and building a strong security framework.  

Conclusion 

In an era where digital security is concerning, proper management of certificates cannot be ignored. While manual tracking might seem manageable for a while, the chances of human error and inaccuracy can lead to serious problems. By switching to automated certificate scanning software, organizations can simplify their processes, boost security, and ensure compliance more easily. Now is the perfect time to future-proof your organization by using automated certificate scanning and moving away from manual methods.