Security News > 2020 > December > Microsoft: Don't delete Windows 10 root certificate expiring this month

A Microsoft root certificate is expiring at the end of this month, and Microsoft warns that removing it could 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 are not expiring this year, some users are concerned that the expiring certificate could prevent software, hardware, or the operating system from performing correctly.

When we contacted Microsoft regarding the expiring root certificate, we were referred to a support page that lists the trusted root certificates required by Windows.

"Some certificates that are listed in the previous tables have expired. However, these certificates are necessary for backward compatibility. Even if there is an expired trusted root certificate, anything that was signed by using that certificate before the expiration date requires that the trusted root certificate is validated. As long as expired certificates are not revoked, they can be used to validate anything that was signed before their expiration," Microsoft warns not to delete expired certificates.

News URL

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-dont-delete-windows-10-root-certificate-expiring-this-month/