A Microsoft root certificate expires at the end of this month, and Microsoft warns that removing it may cause problems with the operating system.
Earlier this month, BornCity reported that the “Microsoft Root Authority” certificate in Microsoft’s Trusted Root Certification Authorities was expiring at the end of the month, on 12/31/20.
While other newer Microsoft root certificates do not expire this year, some users are concerned that the expiring certificate could prevent proper performance of software, hardware , or the operating system.
When we contacted Microsoft about the expiring root certificate, we were directed to a support page that lists the trusted root certificates required by Windows.
In this article, Microsoft explains that trusted root certificates should not be deleted, as they could affect the proper functioning of Windows or cause the computer.
"However, the root certificates listed in the Necessary and trusted root certificates section of this article are required for the operating system to function properly. Because removing the following certificates might limit the functionality of the operating system or cause the computer, you should not remove them," Microsoft explains on the support page.
Microsoft also warns that expired certificates are still used by Windows for "backward compatibility" and should not be used under any circumstances.
“Some certificates listed in the previous tables have expired. However, these certificates are required for backward compatibility. Even if there is a trusted root certificate that has expired, anything signed using the certificate before the expiration date requires validation by the trusted root certificate. As long as the expired certificates have not been revoked , they can be used to validate anything signed before their expiration date,” Microsoft says.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
