sslbrain uses third-party Certificate Authorities (CAs) for SSL/TLS certificate issuance via the ACME protocol. FairSSL strives to maintain redundancy across multiple free and paid CAs, selected based on FairSSL's assessment of security, trust, technical suitability, stability, and compliance with industry standards.
Industry changes
The SSL/TLS industry is continuously evolving and is governed by the CA/Browser Forum and browser root programs. Changes in industry requirements may affect certificate lifetimes, validation methods, key requirements, supported algorithms, and other technical aspects. Such changes are outside FairSSL's control. FairSSL notifies affected customers as soon as possible and adapts the software as needed.
CAs may at any time cease offering certificates, change their terms, restrict issuance volume, be distrusted by browsers, or otherwise become unavailable. FairSSL may likewise choose to add or remove CAs if they no longer meet our requirements. When a CA becomes unavailable, FairSSL will endeavour to offer alternatives so that the customer can continue certificate issuance.
CA authorisation and subscriber obligations
When using sslbrain for certificate issuance, the customer accepts the relevant CA subscriber agreements. The customer authorises FairSSL to accept these agreements on the customer's behalf and to manage certificate orders (issuance, renewal, reissuance, and revocation) via sslbrain Cloud. The customer authorises FairSSL to share the necessary information with the CA.
The customer undertakes to protect private keys, revoke certificates within 24 hours of suspected key compromise, provide accurate information for validation, use certificates only on the domains listed in the certificate, and cease use of a certificate after revocation.
Certificate Transparency
As described in section 11, domain names in publicly issued certificates are automatically logged in CT logs. This is an industry requirement that neither FairSSL nor the customer can opt out of.
Revocation
FairSSL may revoke or request revocation of certificates when required by a CA, by CA/Browser Forum rules, or by applicable law. FairSSL is not liable for service disruptions caused by mandatory or industry-required revocation.