Microsoft, Google, Mozilla block certificates from hacked provider

• By GCN Staff
• Sep 06, 2011

Microsoft Windows machines will now permanently block Secure Sockets Layer certificates issued by a Dutch company that was hacked in July.

The block of DigiNotar certificates applies to PCs running Windows 7, Vista and XP, ComputerWorld reported. Microsoft had earlier issued updates for Windows 7 and Vista.

DigiNotar, the official digital certificate authority for the Netherlands, recently admitted that its servers were hacked in July and that it had issued a fraudulent Google digital certificate that was used to spy on 300,000 Gmail users in Iran.

Google and Mozilla also updated their browsers to block DigiNotar certificates. Google released a new version of Chrome Sept. 3 that blocks the certificates and Mozilla updated Firefox 6 and Firefox 3.6 on Sept. 6, ComputerWorld reported.