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Network and Certificate System Security Requirements

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements

On 3 August 2012 the CA/Browser Forum adopted the original Network and Certificate System Security Requirements with an effective date of 1 January 2013. Since then, the Network and Certificate System Security Requirements (NCSSRs) have outlined best practices for the general protection of CA networks and supporting systems, including those touching on trusted roles, delegated third parties, system accounts, logging, monitoring, alerting, vulnerability detection and patch management within a CA’s infrastructure.

Current Version

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements v2.0.5 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot NS-008)

Previous Versions

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements v2.0.4 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot NS-007)

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements v2.0.3 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot NS-006)

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements v2.0.2 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot NS-004)

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements v2.0.1 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot NS-005)

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements v2.0 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot NS-003)

Network Security Controls v1.7 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot SC41)

Network Security Controls v1.6 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot SC39)

CABForum_Network_Security_Controls_v.1.5 (redlined)(adopted with Ballot SC28)

CABForum_Network_Security_Controls_v.1.4 (redlined)(adopted with Ballot SC29)

CABForum_Network_Security_Controls_v.1.3 (redlined)(adopted with Ballot SC21)

CABForum_Network_Security_Controls_v.1.2 (redlined) (adopted with Ballot SC3)

CABForum_Network_Security_Controls_v.1.1 corrected (adopted with Ballot 210)

CABForum_Network_Security_Controls_v.1.1 corrected-redlined

Network_Security_Controls_V1 (adopted with Ballot 83)

Latest releases
Server Certificate Requirements
SC095v3: Clean-up 2025 - Apr 2, 2026

Code Signing Requirements
v3.8 - Aug 5, 2024

What’s Changed CSC-25: Import EV Guidelines to CS Baseline Requirements by @dzacharo in https://github.com/cabforum/code-signing/pull/38 Full Changelog: https://github.com/cabforum/code-signing/compare/v3.7...v3.8

S/MIME Requirements
v1.0.14 - Ballot SMC016 - May 5, 2026

This ballot maintains consistency between the S/MIME Baseline Requirements and the TLS Baseline Requirements with changes introduced by Ballots SC096 and SC097. Specifically, this ballot: Creates a carve-out of the logging requirements for DNSSEC specifically, stating these are not in scope. For audit purposes, change management logging is able to confirm if the appropriate controls are in effect or not. Sunsets all remaining use of SHA-1 signatures in Certificates and CRLs. It is noted that most uses of SHA-1 signatures are already deprecated by SC097. With this ballot, all unexpired Subordinate CA Certificates issuing S/MIME containing the SHA-1 signature algorithm must be revoked. This proposal does not prohibit the use of SHA-1 to generate issuerKeyHash or issuerNameHash values as currently required by RFC 5019. Includes minor formatting corrections.

Network and Certificate System Security Requirements
Version 2.0.5 (Ballot NS-008) - Jul 9, 2025

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The Certification Authority Browser Forum (CA/Browser Forum) is a voluntary gathering of Certificate Issuers and suppliers of Internet browser software and other applications that use certificates (Certificate Consumers).