By Christian Simko, Vice President of Product Marketing at AppViewX

In 2024, we saw some pretty significant PKI trends and challenges, including the push for shorter validity TLS certificates, the distrust of a major public CA, and the standardization of new post-quantum cryptography encryption algorithms. We are almost certain to see new challenges for machine and non-human identity management in 2025. Here are my 2025 predictions.

1. Shortened Certificate Validity Periods Increase Automation Pressure
   
   With Google pushing for a 90-day maximum TLS certificate validity period and Apple looking to reduce it to 45 days by 2027, enterprises will need to adopt automated certificate lifecycle management solutions to avoid costly service disruptions and security vulnerabilities. Manual processes will become impractical, leading to increased reliance on certificate lifecycle management automation across hybrid multi-cloud environments. Security teams must also prepare for potential burnout and staff turnover due to the heightened frequency of certificate renewals.
   
   
2. Quantum-Resilient Cryptography Becomes a Board-Level Priority
   
   As advancements in quantum computing edge closer and the threat to classical encryption grows, organizations will accelerate efforts to implement quantum-resistant encryption algorithms. PKI infrastructures must be future-proofed for cryptographic agility, requiring the ability to quickly adapt to new quantum-resilient algorithms without service disruptions. Security teams will also need to conduct regular audits and threat modeling to understand quantum vulnerabilities to keep the enterprise secure.
   
   
3. Increased Focus on Non-Human Identity Management
   
   The exponential growth of non-human identities, including those associated with cloud workloads, containerization and IoT devices, will push organizations to prioritize integrated identity management. This will involve securing non-human and machine identities at scale with policies akin to those for human identities, facilitating a more robust Zero Trust architecture. C-level and security leadership will demand better visibility, control and governance of non-human and machine identities as a critical component to an enterprise-wide identity first security approach.​
   
   
4. Rising Complexity in Multi-cloud PKI Management
   
   Enterprises will struggle with fragmented visibility of certificates across hybrid multi-cloud environments, leading to increased risk of expired or improperly configured certificates. Centralizing certificate and key management will become critical, with a strong emphasis on visibility, automation and policy enforcement and compliance. Security teams will be expected to ensure seamless integration and effective certificate lifecycle management across all enterprise infrastructure and services.
   
   
5. Heightened Security Risks from Expired and Self-Signed Certificates
   
   With DevOps pushing for more speed and agility, the persistence of expired and self-signed certificates in applications, workloads and cloud services will continue to be a top vulnerability. Organizations will be under pressure to eliminate self-signed certificates in favor of those issued by trusted and approved Certificate Authorities (CAs). Additionally, there will be a strong push for real-time monitoring and alerting mechanisms to mitigate risks associated with rogue CAs, mis-configurations and certificate expirations​.
   
   
6. Evolving Threat Landscape Forces PKI Revamps
   
   As threats targeting PKI ecosystems grow, expect enterprises to conduct comprehensive PKI health checks and risk assessments. Vulnerabilities, such as exposed keys, weak crypto algorithms and the use of unapproved Certificate Authorities (CAs), will prompt organizations to adopt stronger cryptographic practices policies. Security teams will also need to implement automated certificate lifecycle management solutions and PKI modernization to ensure a strong security and compliance posture.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christian Simko, Vice President of Product Marketing at AppViewX has more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, networking, and IT with CodeSecure, Onapsis, GlobalSign and others.