Recently, Comodo Certificate Authority (now Sectigo) has discontinued SGC certificates because of their incompatibility with the SHA-2 hashing algorithm. Thus, the certificates have become obsolete and are no longer offered at SSLs.com.
What is SGC good for?
SGC (Server Gated Cryptography) certificates are used to boost the encryption level from 40 or 56 bits to 128 bits in outdated web browsers versions. Here are the browsers that still support SGC:
- MS Internet Explorer export browser versions from 3.02 to 5.01;
- Netscape Communicator export browser versions from 4.02 to 4.72;
- Windows 2000 systems released before March 2001 without Microsoft’s High Encryption Pack or Service Pack 2 that use Internet Explorer.
SGC certificates were a response to restrictions on the export of strong cryptography in the 1990s described in the regulations of the United States federal legislation (encryption strength not more than 40-56-bit). Now, most systems are up-to-date, providing 128/256-bit encryption by default, and only a few browsers mentioned above still use lower levels of encryption (40- and 50-bit).
What should I do if I have already purchased these certs?
As the certificate activation cannot be technically completed, we will be able to cancel and fully refund it for you. You can submit a cancellation request via a ticket.
If you activate a Comodo EV SGC SSL after August, 1, it will be automatically issued as a Comodo (now Sectigo) EV SSL certificate. You will see a notification about this certificate deprecation during its activation.
Do you offer any alternative?
We offer Comodo (now Sectigo) EV SSL. This cert comes with the green bar as well, displaying the company name and its location next to the domain name in the address bar as shown below.
Can I leave my issued cert untouched?
Rest assured that activated and issued EV SGC SSL certificate is not affected and will remain valid and continue working until its expiry.
Comodo EV SGC SSL certificates will continue working till its expiry date. Certificates renewed or reissued after August 1 will automatically be replaced with Comodo (now Sectigo) EV SSL. Comodo EV SGC SSL issued under both SHA-1 and SHA-2 hashing algorithms can be substituted with EV SSL upon your request.
Replacement requests should also be submitted to us via a ticket. For additional details or clarification, feel free to contact us anytime via Live Chat, you can start the chat conversation by clicking on the blue bubble icon in the lower right corner of the page.