TopicIT Networking →
⌚ About 2 min read
Restrict authorized certificate authorities without breaking automated renewals.
Before you start
Work on a copy or a controlled test when the change can affect production. Keep timestamps, screenshots and the previous configuration so the result can be compared.
Step by step
- List the certificate authorities actually used for the domain.
- Add suitable CAA issue and, when needed, issuewild records.
- Publish on the zone apex first and check inheritance on subdomains.
- Query CAA records through multiple resolvers and verify the TTL.
- Run a renewal test before making the policy more restrictive.
Validation
Repeat the original test after the change and confirm that the expected service works without creating a new regression. Document the final state.
PKI: CAA issuance and LDAPS usage are different controls
Technical checkpoints
- CAA specifies which CAs may issue for a domain; it does not replace client-side TLS validation.
- For LDAPS, the DC certificate must cover the FQDN in use and include an appropriate Server Authentication EKU.
- LDAPS typically uses TCP/636; port reachability does not prove the presented certificate is correct.
LDAPS
Read the certificate actually presented by the domain controller and verify SAN, EKU, dates and chain.
openssl s_client -connect dc01.example.local:636 -servername dc01.example.local -showcertsTopic-specific pitfalls
- Publishing overly restrictive CAA before identifying all issuing CAs can block future renewal.
- Having multiple eligible certificates on a DC can cause Schannel to select an unexpected one.
How to validate
- The presented LDAPS certificate is the expected one and clients trust it.
- Published CAA records explicitly authorize the CAs actually used by the domain.