What Does It Mean If My SSL Certificate is Revoked?

If your SSL certificate is revoked, it means that the digital certificate, which was previously issued to secure communications on your website, is no longer valid or trustworthy. This can occur for several reasons, and it's crucial to understand the implications:

1. Compromised Security: The most common reason for revocation is the compromise of the certificate's private key. If the key is stolen or accessed by unauthorized parties, the certificate must be revoked to prevent misuse.
2. Mis-issuance: If a certificate was issued in error or without proper validation, it may be revoked to maintain the integrity of the Certificate Authority (CA) that issued it.
3. Change in Certificate Holder's Status: Changes such as domain ownership or organizational changes can also lead to revocation to prevent potential misuse by a new domain owner.
4. Cessation of Operations: If the entity that owns the certificate ceases operations or no longer requires the certificate, it should be revoked.
5. Superseded by a New Certificate: Sometimes, a new certificate is issued to replace an existing one before its expiration. The old certificate should be revoked to maintain clarity and prevent potential conflicts.

When a certificate is revoked, it is added to the Certificate Revocation List (CRL), which is a record of all certificates that have been invalidated by the issuing CA. This list is used by various endpoints, including web browsers, to verify if a certificate is valid and trustworthy. Browsers and other client applications will reject connections based on a revoked certificate, enhancing security and mitigating potential risks.

The revocation of an SSL certificate can lead to service disruption as services using the revoked certificate may become unavailable until a new certificate is installed. It's important to have a plan to quickly replace revoked certificates to minimize downtime and maintain the security and trustworthiness of your online services.