A recently disclosed vulnerability involving SSL.com, a trusted certificate authority, highlights an important but often overlooked risk in website security—and it’s something every organization should understand.
What Happened?
SSL.com is a company that issues digital certificates used to secure websites and enable HTTPS encryption. These certificates help users trust that the website they’re visiting is legitimate.
The issue arose from a flaw in SSL.com’s domain validation process. In simple terms, the process for verifying domain ownership was overly permissive. An attacker needed access to just a single email address associated with a domain to potentially pass validation.
That’s a problem.
Why This Is Dangerous
If a hacker gains access to one email account within your domain, they could potentially:
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Obtain a legitimate-looking SSL certificate for your domain
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Stand up a rogue or fake website
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Trick users into believing the site is authentic because it shows HTTPS and a valid certificate
From a user’s perspective, everything may look normal—no browser warnings, no obvious red flags—making phishing or impersonation attacks far more effective.
How You Can Protect Your Organization
One practical defensive step is to publish a CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) DNS record.
A CAA record allows you to explicitly specify which certificate authorities are allowed to issue certificates for your domain. For example, you can state that only providers like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, or another trusted CA are permitted to generate certificates on your behalf.
This adds an extra layer of protection by:
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Preventing unauthorized certificate issuance
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Reducing the risk of certificate abuse
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Helping contain the impact of validation flaws at certificate authorities
While certificate authorities must actively check CAA records for them to be effective, many do—and the protection is well worth implementing.
Act Proactively, Not Reactively
If you wait until a security incident occurs, the damage may already be done. Publishing a CAA record in advance is a simple, proactive step that can help you avoid becoming a victim of a preventable attack.
If you’re unsure whether your domain has a CAA record—or whether it’s configured correctly—this is a good time to review it.
Final Thoughts
Security vulnerabilities like this serve as a reminder that trust on the internet is layered, and even trusted providers can experience failures. Staying informed and taking proactive steps can make a meaningful difference in reducing your risk exposure.