eMudhra to Exit Global SSL/TLS Certificate Business

What happened

eMudhra's Board voluntarily decided to leave the global SSL/TLS certificate business. The company says this follows a recent security incident. It also says it acted quickly, revoked the affected certificate authorities (CAs) within 14 hours, and told people promptly. The company says no data was breached and its systems were not compromised.

Key facts

• SSL/TLS makes up about 1% of eMudhra's global revenue.
• Revocation happened within 14 hours of discovery.
• No end-entity certificates were issued from the affected CAs.
• Revocation and status services will keep running until every issued certificate expires or is replaced.

Why the business shrank

SSL/TLS certificates prove that a website is who it says it is. Rules about where data is stored are getting stricter, so the work is becoming harder and more expensive. Some large companies also give these certificates away for free. Together, this has made the business less profitable for eMudhra.

Why it matters

The company says the incident drew much more attention online than its small size in the business deserves. Its leaders decided that leaving this market is the best choice for the company and its shareholders. For customers, the company says the change will be smooth. Its other products, such as digital signatures, eSign, and identity tools, are not affected.

What to watch

• How eMudhra helps customers replace certificates for free through partners.
• Work with browser programs to move customers off the G1 RSA roots.
• The full root-cause report the company promised to browser root programs.
• Whether the company's focus on its core enterprise solutions brings growth.