WHOIS for SSL Certificate Validation - Depreciated

In the realm of online security, SSL Certificates play a crucial role in establishing trust and ensuring secure communication between websites and their visitors. Before a Certificate Authority (CA) issues an SSL Certificate, it must perform Domain Control Validation (DCV) to verify that the requesting entity actually owns the domain in question.

WHOIS lookups were historically a cornerstone of this validation process, providing Certificate Authorities (CAs) with the contact information needed to confirm domain ownership.

This article explores the role WHOIS information played in SSL Certificate validation and examines the alternative methods that have emerged in response to evolving privacy regulations and industry standards established by the Certificate Authority / Browser Forum (CA/B Forum).

Understanding Certificate Validation

The SSL Certificate validation process represents one of the most critical security measures in the Digital Certificate ecosystem. Understanding how validation works helps domain owners prepare for SSL Certificate requests and ensures smoother issuance from providers like Trustico® that offer SSL Certificates from trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs).

What is SSL Certificate Validation?

SSL Certificate validation is the process by which Certificate Authorities (CAs) verify that the applicant for an SSL Certificate is the actual owner of the domain name specified in the Certificate request. This process is vital for maintaining the security and legitimacy of SSL Certificates across the internet.

It ensures that only authorized entities can obtain an SSL Certificate for a specific domain, preventing malicious actors from issuing SSL Certificates for domains they do not own. Certificate Authorities (CAs) previously used the domain owner's contact details, obtained via WHOIS, to request permission to issue SSL Certificates for a domain.

The validation level you choose determines how thoroughly the Certificate Authority (CA) verifies your identity and organization. Learn About The Validation Procedure 🔗

The Role of WHOIS in Domain Verification

WHOIS was long the standard for verifying domain ownership during SSL Certificate validation. WHOIS is a query protocol used to access databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name or an IP address.

During WHOIS-based domain validation, the Certificate Authority (CA) would query the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) WHOIS server, following the referrals to find the relevant server to obtain domain contact information. The Certificate Authority (CA) would then use this information to verify domain ownership, often through sending a verification e-mail to the registrant's e-mail address listed in the WHOIS record.

Importance of Accurate WHOIS Information

Accurate and up-to-date WHOIS information was crucial for efficient and reliable SSL Certificate issuance. When the WHOIS database contained incorrect or outdated contact details, the domain control validation process could be significantly delayed or even fail entirely.

Ensuring that the registrant, administrative, and technical contact details were correct in the WHOIS database historically helped streamline the verification process. This enabled Certificate Authorities (CAs) to quickly verify domain ownership and issue SSL Certificates, contributing to a more secure online environment for businesses and individuals.

However, with privacy regulations and the sunsetting of WHOIS for validation purposes, domain owners now must use alternative validation methods. Discover Domain Validation (DV) Information 🔗

Changes in WHOIS Privacy Regulations

The SSL Certificate industry underwent significant changes regarding how domain ownership is verified. Regulatory decisions by the CA/B Forum fundamentally altered the landscape of Domain Control Validation (DCV), requiring Certificate Authorities (CAs) and domain owners alike to adapt to new methods of proving domain ownership.

Overview of WHOIS Privacy Updates

The CA/B Forum adopted Ballot SC-80v3 to sunset the use of WHOIS to identify domain contacts and relying DCV methods, representing a significant shift in the SSL Certificate landscape. To comply with these industry changes, Certificate Authorities (CAs) were required to cease using WHOIS to identify domain contacts for e-mail, fax, SMS, postal mail, and phone domain control validation methods.

This ballot included two important dates that affected all SSL Certificate customers.

On January 15, 2025, Certificate Authorities (CAs) stopped relying on domain contact information obtained using HTTPS web-based WHOIS lookups.

By July 15, 2025, Certificate Authorities (CAs) stopped relying on WHOIS-based domain validations entirely, including those obtained using the WHOIS protocol, querying IANA's WHOIS server, and following referrals to the relevant WHOIS server.

Impact on SSL Certificate Issuance

The changes in WHOIS privacy regulations significantly impacted the SSL Certificate issuance process across the entire industry. Major Certificate Authorities (CAs) began implementing these changes ahead of the required deadlines.

Starting from early 2025, Certificate Authorities (CAs) could no longer use HTTPS web-based WHOIS lookups to obtain domain contact information for domain control validation.

Furthermore, Certificate Authorities (CAs) could no longer reuse any existing domain validations where they had used an HTTPS web-based lookup to collect domain contact information, regardless of whether the previously obtained information was within the allowed 397-day reuse period.

By mid-2025, Certificate Authorities (CAs) no longer supported the WHOIS-based DCV method, and systems stopped querying WHOIS entirely for domain validations. In July 2025, Certificate Authorities (CAs) stopped reusing existing WHOIS-based domain validations, regardless of whether previously obtained information was within the allowed 397-day reuse period and regardless of the WHOIS method used.

As a result, alternative DCV methods are now required to ensure SSL Certificate validation remains reliable. Explore File-Based Authentication for SSL Certificates 🔗

Consequences for Domain Validation Methods

The WHOIS privacy updates had significant consequences for domain validation methods used by organizations worldwide. Previously, a Certificate Authority (CA) validation agent might perform an HTTPS web-based WHOIS lookup to find domain contact information when the WHOIS protocol faced rate limits, ensuring domain validation could proceed without delays.

However, starting January 2025, Certificate Authority (CA) validation agents could no longer perform manual HTTPS web-based WHOIS lookups when the WHOIS protocol failed to retrieve a domain's contact information, causing WHOIS-based DCV methods to become significantly less reliable.

Organizations that had used the WHOIS-based DCV method to validate their domains and experienced failures with the Certificate Authority (CA) automated WHOIS lookup were impacted by these changes. Those who had been using the WHOIS-based Approver E-Mail DCV method were required to switch to a different DCV method, as these domain validations became invalid in July 2025.

This necessitated a shift towards alternative methods of verifying domain ownership for SSL Certificate issuance to ensure the continued legitimacy of secure websites.

Verification Methods for SSL Certificates

With the end of WHOIS-based validation, understanding the available alternative verification methods is essential for anyone managing SSL Certificates. Trustico® supports multiple Domain Control Validation (DCV) methods to ensure customers can obtain their SSL Certificates efficiently.

Traditional WHOIS Lookup for Domain Validation

The traditional WHOIS lookup method for domain validation was a cornerstone of SSL Certificate issuance for many years. This method involved the Certificate Authority (CA) querying the IANA WHOIS server and following the referrals to the relevant WHOIS server to obtain domain contact information.

Certificate Authorities (CAs) used the WHOIS protocol to find contact details to verify domain ownership before issuing an SSL Certificate. However, due to increasing privacy concerns and regulatory changes from the CA/B Forum, this method was phased out across the entire industry, necessitating the adoption of alternative domain validation methods for all SSL Certificate customers.

Approver E-Mail Validation Method

Approver E-Mail validation is the most common method for verifying domain ownership during SSL Certificate issuance. The Certificate Authority (CA) sends a confirmation e-mail to a pre-approved address associated with the domain.

The Approver E-Mail method sends the authorization e-mail to one of five pre-approved e-mail addresses for the domain. These addresses are admin, administrator, webmaster, hostmaster, and postmaster at your domain name.

The recipient must then follow the instructions in the e-mail, typically by clicking a confirmation link or entering a verification code provided in the message.

Since Domain Validation (DV) does not require extensive documentation or manual review, the process can often be completed within minutes once the e-mail recipient responds to the validation request. This allows website owners to secure their domains quickly and efficiently.

CNAME Record Validation Method

Another method for proving domain ownership is DNS record verification using CNAME records. This method is useful for those who do not have access to the allowed Approver E-Mail addresses or prefer a more technical approach to validation.

After placing the SSL Certificate order, you have the option to validate domain ownership using CNAME records instead of the standard Approver E-Mail method.

To check availability and to switch to CNAME validation, simply log into the Trustico® SSL Certificate Tracking & Management Tool after submitting your order. Once logged in, change the validation preference from Approver E-Mail to CNAME.

This alternative validation method requires you to create a specific CNAME record in your domain's DNS settings. Once the Certificate Authority (CA) detects the correct record, domain ownership is confirmed and the SSL Certificate issuance process can proceed. View Our SSL Certificate Tracking & Management 🔗

HTTP/S File-Based Validation Method

File-based verification requires the domain owner to upload a verification file to a specific directory on the website's server. The Certificate Authority (CA) will then check for the presence of this file to confirm ownership.

This method is often used by web administrators who have direct control over their website's files and prefer not to use e-mail or DNS-based validation methods.

The HTTP/S method involves hosting a file containing a Certificate Authority (CA) generated random value at a predetermined location on your website. Learn About File-Based Authentication for SSL Certificates 🔗

Current State of SSL Certificate Validation

The SSL Certificate industry continues to evolve in response to changing security requirements and privacy regulations. Understanding the current validation landscape ensures that your organization can maintain secure websites without disruption to your SSL Certificate issuance process.

Adapting to the Post-WHOIS Environment

Adapting to the post-WHOIS environment is essential for maintaining reliable SSL Certificate issuance for your websites and online services. Now that WHOIS-based domain validation is obsolete, organizations must use alternative validation methods for all SSL Certificate requests.

Certificate Authorities (CAs) have updated their domain control validation processes to remove support for the WHOIS-based DCV method and have stopped reusing existing WHOIS-based domain validations as specified in Ballot SC-80v3.

By staying informed about the latest regulatory requirements, businesses can ensure their SSL Certificates remain valid and their websites secure.

Current Verification Methods

Current verification methods for SSL Certificates provide robust online security now that traditional methods like WHOIS lookups are obsolete. Several proven approaches are available to streamline the validation process while maintaining security standards.

The CNAME validation method provides a reliable and automated way to prove domain ownership without requiring access to specific e-mail addresses. Domain owners simply create a CNAME record pointing to the Certificate Authority (CA) verification server.

The HTTP/S file-based validation method involves hosting a file containing a Certificate Authority (CA) generated random value at a predetermined location on your website, typically at the /.well-known/pki-validation/ directory.

For organizations managing large numbers of SSL Certificates, automated SSL Certificate management using the ACME protocol provides a streamlined solution that handles validation and renewal automatically.

These verification methods ensure that only legitimate domain owners can obtain SSL Certificates while reducing the manual effort required during the issuance process. Discover ACME - Automated SSL Certificate Issuance 🔗

Best Practices for Domain Owners

Domain owners should follow several best practices now that WHOIS-based SSL Certificate validation methods are no longer available.

The Approver E-Mail method remains a reliable option for most domain owners who have access to one of the five pre-approved e-mail addresses.

Organizations that prefer not to use e-mail validation should consider implementing CNAME validation, which provides reliable verification without depending on e-mail access.

For organizations managing multiple domains, exploring automated SSL Certificate management solutions through Trustico® Certificate as a Service (CaaS) can significantly reduce the administrative burden of SSL Certificate validation and renewal.

These practices help prevent delays in SSL Certificate issuance and ensure your websites remain secure. Explore Trustico® Certificate as a Service (CaaS) 🔗