Our own are more reliable: why is it important to install Mintsifra security certificates

Against the backdrop of the transition of Russian sites to certificates of the National Certification Center of the Ministry of Digital Development, Sber recommended that its customers, of whom the bank has more than 100 million, install them on their devices. Let’s figure out why the installation of domestic safety certificates is so important.

Where did it all start?

In March, with the strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions, foreign certification centers began to revoke their security certificates from the websites of domestic companies. We are talking about TLS certificates that are used to create an encrypted connection over the HTTPS protocol between sites and their users. For the layman, the revocation of certificates from Russian online sites could be expressed in the form of a warning about the insecurity of the resource or blocking the site by the browser.

In this regard, the National Certification Center (NCC) of the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia began issuing its own security certificates to domestic companies on the Gosuslug portal. In the near future, these certificates will be implemented in most Russian sites. And recently, on the same State Services, a section has appeared in which any user can download the Mintsifra certificate to their device for free.

When asked why an ordinary Internet user needs to install such a certificate, experts answer that both the resource and the user have it to establish a secure connection between the parties to the process. In this case, information between the user’s device and the site will be transmitted over a secure HTTPS encryption protocol.

scale example

Sber said last week that it was the first in the country to begin installing Mintsifra certificates on all its sites, work resources and systems, adding that the transition “will ensure the bank’s independence from foreign certification centers and guarantee users secure access to Sber’s resources.” And the head of Sberbank, German Gref, said that in the near future the company’s main website would be transferred to domestic certificates.

The Bank stressed that the SberBank Online and SberBusiness mobile applications on the iOS and Android platforms already have the necessary built-in certificates, so they are absolutely safe to use. The company recommended that owners of devices running the Android operating system remember to update the SberBank Online and SberBusiness apps to the latest versions.

As noted by the Ministry of Digital Development, Sberbank’s transition to NCA certificates has become “one of the largest examples of the use of domestic security certificates,” and Minister Maksut Shadayev emphasized: “The transfer of resources from the largest bank and one of the country’s leading technology companies to our certificates will be a good example for the entire Russian market and will become an incentive to reduce dependence on foreign companies.

Relief of risks

Cybersecurity experts are unanimous in their opinion: installing domestic certificates on personal devices will allow everyone to protect themselves when using Russian sites. At the same time, the user has two possible ways to supply Mintsifra certificates. The first is to download them at the State Services and install them on your gadget according to the instructions. The second is to switch to using a domestic browser with pre-installed certificates. However, the latter option may be inconvenient for those who, for example, are used to using foreign analogues.

At the same time, fintech analysts are sure that the transition to domestic certificates will become a necessary condition for the further development of the industry. “Certificates from the Ministry of Digital Development will be as popular as they are necessary for the correct operation of banking applications and websites. In this regard, we can state a successful example of import substitution. Regular updating and improvement of software solutions related to financial services, including the installation of certificates, is the key to the stability of remote banking systems and the expansion of their functionality,” Anna Avakimyan, Chief Analyst of RegBlock, shared her opinion.