What should I do if the certificate expires?
In the digital age, the validity of certificates (such as SSL certificates, domain name certificates, professional qualification certificates, etc.) is directly related to network security, business operations, and personal career development. Among the hot topics on the Internet recently, security issues and service interruptions caused by certificate expiration have frequently become the focus. This article will focus on countermeasures for certificate expiration and provide structured data to help readers quickly solve the problem.
1. Common types and impacts of certificate expiration

| Certificate type | Expiration effect | Typical scenario |
|---|---|---|
| SSL/TLS certificate | The website is marked as "unsafe" by the browser and user access is blocked | E-commerce and financial websites |
| Domain name certificate | Domain name resolution fails and the service cannot be accessed | Corporate official website, API service |
| Vocational qualification certificate | Legality of practice is questioned, affecting promotion | Doctors, teachers and other industries |
2. Solution to certificate expiration
1. SSL/TLS certificate expired
Steps:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Check expiration time | Use online tools like SSL Labs to check certificate validity |
| Reapply for certificate | Apply for free or for a fee through a CA agency (such as Let's Encrypt) |
| Deploy new certificate | Update the certificate file on the server (Nginx/Apache) and restart the service |
2. Expired professional qualification certificate
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Check renewal policy | Log in to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security or the official industry website to view continuing education requirements |
| Complete continuing education | Participate in training and pass the assessment (some industries require offline examinations) |
| Submit renewal application | Fill in the information online and pay the fee (usually processed within 30 working days) |
3. Recent hot events related to the entire network
| Date | event | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-05 | A bank's SSL certificate expired, causing the APP to crash for 2 hours | Users were unable to transfer money and suffered losses exceeding 10 million |
| 2023-10-11 | The Ministry of Education reminds teachers that teacher qualification certificates must be renewed 6 months in advance before expiration | Renewal peaks occurred in many places |
4. Practical suggestions to prevent certificate expiration
1.Set multiple reminders: Use calendar tools and monitoring systems (such as Prometheus) to trigger alerts 30 days/7 days before certificate expiration
2.Automated management: Use tools such as acme.sh to realize automatic renewal of SSL certificates
3.Create a certificate list: Use a form to register all certificate types, validity periods and responsible persons
Conclusion
Expired certificates are a common problem, but they can have serious consequences. Risks can be minimized through systematic management and rapid response mechanisms. It is recommended to review the status of all certificates regularly and develop an emergency plan.
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