Syspeace switches to SHA-2 for a more robust IT environment
As of today, September 2, 2016, we have switched to using a SHA-2 SSL/TLS certificate.
SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm), a group of cryptographic hash functions developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA). A SHA generates unique hash values from files. Thus keeping the transmitted data safe.
It was found that serious security weaknesses with SHA-1 hashing algorithm rendered most users’ information vulnerable, and the SHA-2 hash algorithm is a newer and more robust hash algorithm than the previous one. Therefore it was necessary to move from SSL and code signing certificates signed with SHA-1 to certificates signed with SHA-2.
The change covers the Syspeace website, our Syspeace Licenses site (for managing and purchasing licenses), as well as our back end server used by the Syspeace application.
SHA-2 is not supported in Windows Server 2003 and 2003 R2, which leads to the following:
- Syspeace users on Windows Server 2003 will have to upgrade to a special Windows Server 2003 variant of Syspeace 2.6. It uses a self-signed, privately issued SHA-1 certificate to maintain the current functionality. This version, along with a special information page, has been available for weeks and we have contacted the affected Syspeace users with this information.
- Access to any of the affected web sites may be restricted. That is from the versions of Internet Explorer compatible with Windows Server 2003. We recommend using an alternative browser like Chrome or Firefox, or a different computer.
For these reasons, we made a choice to renew the certificate at the last moment, to give you, our customers, more time to adjust.
