Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager No License Tab: Understanding the Impact of Microsoft's Update

Microsoft has recently released an update that may affect Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager customers who have configured SSL between their manager and clients. The update, which is scheduled to be rolled out through Microsoft Update in October 2012, aims to improve security by ending support for certificates using the RSA algorithm with key lengths less than 1024 bits.

The issue arises when self-signed certificates are used for client-to-server communication, with a key length of less than 1024 bits. This update may impact customers who meet the following criteria:

* Have provided their own self-signed certificates

* Are using SSL between Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager and clients

In this situation, the administrator must take steps to ensure that client-to-server communication is not disrupted. Symantec Endpoint Protection may be affected by Microsoft Security Advisory KB 2661254 if the administrator has configured client communications via SSL with a self-signed certificate using a key length less than 1024 bits.

The good news is that this update does not impact Symantec Endpoint Protection with respect to code signing and authenticode or internally-issued and leveraged certificates. These certificates will continue to be supported without any issues.

To learn more about the update and how to update your certificates, please refer to the following links:

Additionally, Microsoft is planning to release this update through Microsoft Update in October 2012, after customers have had a chance to assess the impact of this update and take necessary actions to use certificates with RSA keys greater than or equal to 1024 bits in length.

The update is available on the Microsoft Download Center as well as the Microsoft Update Catalog for all supported releases of Microsoft Windows. After applying Microsoft's update, all certificates with key lengths less than 1024 bits will be treated as invalid.

By understanding the impact of this update and taking proactive steps to update your certificates, you can ensure a seamless transition to more secure communication between Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager and clients.

Symantec endpoint protection manager no license tab