GlobalSign Just Nuked 310+ Russian Sites—Again

In a move that surely keeps sysadmins in Moscow awake at night, GlobalSign initiated its second wave of TLS certificate revocations this month. The hit list includes roughly 310 domains from 44 high-profile entities, including giants like Rosneft, Gazprombank, and Alrosa. The purge, which began June 18 at 5:15 PM Moscow time, also swept up Positive Technologies and various state-affiliated organizations.

For those feeling the digital cold, alternatives are being scouted with frantic speed. Positive Technologies has already managed to secure a temporary 90-day lifeline from an Austrian registrar, proving that where there is a will—and a desperate need for secure traffic—there is a way, albeit a short-lived one. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation is waving a consolation prize, suggesting that affected companies can migrate to domestic TLS certificates issued through the Gosuslugi portal, promising a turnaround time of just three business days.

This latest drama follows hot on the heels of a broader tightening of the digital noose. Let's Encrypt, the world’s favorite non-profit certificate provider, recently updated its subscriber agreement to explicitly bar organizations and individuals residing in territories under comprehensive US sanctions from their services. The era of universal trust is being rapidly partitioned, leaving a trail of broken HTTPS connections in its wake. It appears the internet is no longer a borderless playground but a series of gated communities where your passport determines your ability to encrypt a login page.

Source: RBK