eMudhra to Close Global Digital Certificate Business After Security Incident
eMudhra, a Bengaluru-based company, announced on October 22, 2026, it is shutting down its global digital certificate business. This decision follows a security incident involving eight private keys used for web security certificates, which led to a global cybersecurity alert and increased scrutiny.
By The Junior Post
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On Thursday, October 22, 2026, eMudhra announced it would be closing its global business that issues Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates. The company, based in Bengaluru, stated that this decision was made due to a security lapse that led to an informal global cybersecurity alert.
The security incident involved the exposure of eight private keys, which are essential for issuing web security certificates. This exposure resulted in what eMudhra described as "disproportionate scrutiny" of its global operations, partly due to how the incident was discussed on social media.
Kaushik Srinivasan, co-founder of eMudhra, mentioned that the company needs to improve its reputation. V Srinivasan, Chairman of eMudhra, confirmed that the affected Certificate Authorities (CAs) were revoked within 14 hours of discovery and that no end entity certificates were issued from them. He also stated that their infrastructure was not compromised.
The company cited several reasons for exiting the business, including increasing data sovereignty and compliance requirements, growing complexity, and rising costs. The global SSL/TLS business contributed only about 1% of eMudhra's total revenue, and its commercial prospects were becoming less attractive due to shorter certificate validity periods and competition from free certificate providers.
The security issue was first reported on October 17 by Dennis Jackson, a member of Mozilla's cryptography engineering team. He identified weaknesses in the keys linked to the eight eMudhra intermediate certificates. Following the announcement, eMudhra's shares dropped by 20% on the BSE for two consecutive days.
Knowledge Vault
Digital Certificates (SSL/TLS)
Digital certificates, like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificates, are electronic documents used to prove the ownership of a public key. They are essential for securing communication over the internet, especially for websites. When you see a padlock icon in your browser's address bar, it means the website is using an SSL/TLS certificate to encrypt the data exchanged between your computer and the website, keeping your information private and safe from eavesdropping.
Private Keys
In cryptography, a private key is a secret piece of information used in an encryption system. It's like a secret password that only the owner knows. When used with a public key, it helps to encrypt and decrypt data, ensuring that only authorized people can read the information. If a private key is exposed, it means someone unauthorized might gain access to sensitive information or be able to pretend to be the legitimate owner.
Certificate Authority (CA)
A Certificate Authority (CA) is a trusted organization that issues digital certificates. Think of a CA as a digital passport office. Just like a passport office verifies your identity before issuing a passport, a CA verifies the identity of websites or individuals before issuing a digital certificate. This helps ensure that when you visit a website, you are connecting to the legitimate site and not a fake one.
Check your understanding
- What was the main reason eMudhra decided to close its global digital certificate business?
- They wanted to focus on a different type of business.
- A major security lapse involving private keys led to increased scrutiny and rising costs.
- Their global business was making too much money.
- They were asked by the government to stop.
- What are SSL and TLS certificates used for?
- To make phone calls over the internet.
- To secure websites and protect information sent online.
- To play online video games.
- To send physical mail faster.
- Who first reported the security issue with eMudhra's intermediate certificates?
- The Chairman of eMudhra
- A government advisory committee
- Dennis Jackson from Mozilla's cryptography engineering team
- A social media influencer