The digitalization process plays a crucial role in companies, and ensuring their digital identity has become a top priority. Redtrust, the leading company in solutions for the custody, centralization, and control of digital certificates within businesses, has prepared a report highlighting the new role of digital certificates in cybersecurity strategies.
The analysis emphasizes the importance of digital certificates, the most widely used means for safeguarding a company’s digital identity. Businesses view this as a pillar of their cybersecurity strategies, utilizing it for authentication, electronic transactions, digital document signing, and information encryption. In terms of digital signatures, Spain leads Europe with the highest presence of electronic signatures (a forecasted CAGR of 33.1% from 2021 to 2026).
The security of these certificates has become the primary concern for organizations, as cyber threats can severely compromise a company’s digital identity. Unauthorized access to digital certificates could lead to identity theft or malware attacks.
In response to this scenario, Redtrust has identified the main reasons to protect a company’s identity through digital certificates:
1. Increase in cyberattacks: The growing digitalization of businesses has increased their vulnerability to cyber threats. In this context, digital certificates have become essential as the first line of defense against threats and attacks. The sophistication of cyber-attacks has evolved, with cybercriminals now utilizing stolen digital certificates or directly compromising a company’s certificates to sign malware. This method allows it to go undetected, taking advantage of the trust in the legitimacy of the certificates.
The infamous SolarWinds case, which occurred in December 2020, saw the compromise of a digital code signing certificate for one of its products, affecting more than 18,000 customers, including major organizations such as Microsoft and NASA.
Globally, companies face an average of 700 identity theft attacks per year, and losing control over digital certificates can have serious consequences. It is crucial to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect these certificates in an increasingly challenging digital environment.
2. Regulatory and legal compliance: Redtrust’s report emphasizes that the use of digital certificates ensures compliance with current legislation. An example is the Royal Decree 553/2020, which mandates electronic processing, using digital certificates, for companies in the waste transportation sector.
3. Versatility and comprehensive applications: Digital certificates are incredibly versatile tools used to authenticate users, carry out electronic transactions, digitally sign documents, and encrypt information. Their comprehensive application optimizes operational efficiency and security in various business operations.
With a proactive approach, Redtrust aligns with current trends, anticipates risks, and ensures business continuity in the event of cyber incidents. In 2023, the company strengthened its position in Spain, focusing on creating the highest profitability to internationalize with minimal risk.
“In recent years, user identity management has been a top priority for almost 80% of companies when it comes to detecting anomalous security situations,” concludes Daniel Rodríguez, General Manager of Redtrust. “At Redtrust, we are committed to providing solutions that not only anticipate current threats but also support digital transformation. Our digital certificate management platform is the result of that dedication, ensuring business integrity and continuity.”
About Redtrust
Redtrust is the solution chosen by companies to manage and control their digital identity. The custody of their digital certificates in our specialized management system ensures their security, both when authenticating to carry out online transactions with other entities and public organizations, as well as when digitally signing documents and communications.
Over 1000 companies in sectors such as finance, energy, and construction trust Redtrust for centralized management of their digital certificates, with the necessary control mechanisms over their usage and lifecycle. The protection of certificates is assured by being stored on an encrypted, unique, and independent server.
Since 2019, Redtrust has been part of Keyfactor, a multinational leader in cloud-based crypto agility and PKI solutions. In 2021, PrimeKey, the creator of EJBCA, the leading Certificate Authority software, joined the group.