Microsoft is considering advancing the blocking of the SHA-1 hashing algorithm on Windows to as early as June next year, taking a cue from a similar decision by Mozilla.
The Redmond-based software maker had earlier said that Windows would block SHA-1 signed TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificates from Jan. 1, 2017, but is now mulling moving up the date in view of recent advances in attacks on the SHA-1 algorithm, a cryptographic hash function designed by the U.S. National Security Agency.
There have been concerns about the security of the algorithm, which led Microsoft, Google and Mozilla to announce that their browsers would stop accepting SHA-1 SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates.
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