Addressing the Chromecast Certificate Expiration

Recently, Google contacted second-generation Chromecast owners to report that they were working on a fix for "untrusted device" errors due to an expired certificate. This type of outage is an industry-wide challenge that is more frequently affecting device manufacturers and users. Fortunately, with the right steps, these certificate outages can be easily prevented for IoT.

The current state of IoT certificate management

The Chromecast incident isn't an isolated case. It's a symptom of a long-existing, industry-wide approach that's becoming increasingly untenable. Standard operating procedure for many consumer IoT manufacturers remains single-issuance certificates with extremely long validity periods. This “set-it-and-forget-it" approach creates a risk for widespread device failure as IoT use increases, and devices operate longer than expected when the validity period was first decided.

This single-issuance approach leaves manufacturers with limited options when certificates expire. Typically, it means an expensive product recall process requiring consumers to manually return devices for replacement or update—an approach that's not only costly but results in significant brand damage and consumer frustration.

The hidden costs of certificate expiration incidents

When certificates expire unexpectedly on deployed IoT devices, the true costs go far beyond the technical aspects. Manufacturers face immediate expenses from customer support surges, and in some cases, recalls and replacement device manufacturing. One major certificate expiration event can easily cost millions in direct expenses while simultaneously eroding brand trust that took years to build.

The implementation gap in certificate standards

Although standards bodies like the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) have incorporated IoT device certificate revocation into specifications like Matter, there's a significant gap between specification and implementation. These renewal capabilities standards don't automatically translate to manufacturing implementation for the processes and solutions required to effectively manage those lifecycle changes. In the past, the realities of deploying chip-to-field IoT certificate management were prohibitive for manufacturers, but now there are solutions that make implementing the risk-preventing standards possible for all types of devices.

 How Device Trust Manager addresses these challenges

DigiCert's Device Trust Manager was developed specifically to bridge this gap between standards and implementation, providing manufacturers with both the technology and processes needed to manage the entire certificate lifecycle:

• Certificate renewal infrastructure. End-to-end solutions for implementing secure certificate renewal even for deployed devices.
• Flexible validity periods.Capability to issue shorter-validity certificates with automated renewal mechanisms rather than single long-lived certificates.
• Over-the-air update support. Technologies that enable remote certificate updates without physical device access.

Device Trust Manager transforms how manufacturers approach certificate management by replacing the single-issuance model with a continuous trust approach. This shift eliminates the need for costly remediation processes by enabling manufacturers to securely update certificates remotely throughout the device lifecycle, just as they would with regular software updates.

A strategic approach to trusting IoT devices

While the Chromecast certificate expiration incident makes headlines, it’s important to remember that this type of outage happens all the time with IoT manufacturing. And as devices become more deeply integrated into consumers' daily lives, the impact of trust failures grows exponentially—something the entire IoT industry needs to address. What was once merely an inconvenience now results in risks to home networks and security, potential access to personal and financial data, disrupted routines, and lasting damage to consumer confidence. Forward-thinking manufacturers recognize that certificate management isn't just an IT security function—it's a critical component of product design that directly impacts customer experience and operational costs.

DigiCert recommends that IoT device manufacturers take these immediate steps to evaluate their certificate management strategies:

1. Audit current devices. Identify all deployed devices, their certificate status, and expiration timelines.
2. Develop renewal pathways. Establish technical mechanisms for certificate updates that don't require difficult or expensive remediation.
3. Implement monitoring. Deploy systems that provide visibility into certificate status across device fleets.
4. Integrate trust planning. Make certificate lifecycle management a standard component of product design.

The most expensive certificate management strategy is the one implemented after devices start failing in the field. With the solutions available today, manufacturers have access to a comprehensive, proven approach that prevents these costly incidents while maintaining the seamless experience consumers expect from their connected devices.

Learn more about DigiCert^® Device Trust Manager.