Disgraced eMudhra drops out of TLS business after using cert private key of 4
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Flubbed key signing "ceremony" allowed minting of web credentials for any site.
The one-panel cartoon
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A secure data center room with servers, cables, and locked cabinets, but a large, open safe with a 'TLS Certificates' sign hanging on a cartoonishly flimsy padlock.
Caption: When your security is this flimsy, you might as well be using a keychain lock.
Read the full 3-panel strip
Based on the original story on arstechnica.com.
Editor's note
This incident highlights the critical importance of robust security practices in the digital world, especially when dealing with the foundation of internet trust—certificates and keys. It's a stark reminder that even the slightest lapse in security can have far-reaching consequences, underscoring the need for transparency and accountability in organizations that handle sensitive information.
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Panel 1
A small, cluttered office with a desk piled high with papers, a laptop on top, and a few framed certificates and awards on the wall. A middle-aged, bespectacled man (let's call him Ravi) sits at the desk, looking tired but determined. He is typing away on the laptop, with a look of intense concentration.
Ravi: Just one more test... We’ve got to get this right. This is the last shot at proving eMudhra’s credibility.
Panel 2
The same office, but now Ravi has stepped away from his desk, looking at a framed photo of him shaking hands with a large, multinational tech company CEO. He looks back at his laptop with a mix of nostalgia and frustration, rubbing his temples.
Ravi: If only we hadn’t messed up that key signing ceremony. How did we let that slip through?
Panel 3
The office, but now there’s a poster on the wall that reads “EMUDHRA: THE TRUSTED SECURITY GUARD.” Ravi is looking at the poster with a wry smile, holding a new certificate that reads “eMudhra: Now Dropping Out of TLS Business.” He looks resigned but also slightly amused. The poster and the new certificate create a stark contrast between eMudhra’s former reputation as a trusted security provider and their current reality as a company that has to drop out of the business due to a security breach. The joke lies in the irony of the company trying to regain its lost trust while accepting its new, unexpected narrative.
Ravi: Guess this is our new slogan now. 'The once and future key signer, now a drop-out.
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