14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is pushing hard for Secure Hash Algorithm 2, or SHA-2, and the company this week announced that it’s pulling support from the previous generation for Windows content.
This means that files signed with SHA-1 and published on the Microsoft Download Center would just be pulled, and Microsoft says the date when this is projected to happen in August 3.
“This is the next step in our continued efforts to adopt Secure Hash Algorithm 2 (SHA-2), which better meets modern security requirements and offers added protections from common attack vectors,” the software giant explains.
This isn’t the first step that Microsoft makes to move away from SHA-1.
Back in the summer of 2019, Microsoft introduced a major change that prevented devices that do not have SHA-2 support to receive Windows support, all because of the security concerns related to SHA-1.
“SHA-1 is a legacy cryptographic hash that many in the security community believe is no longer secure. Using the SHA-1 hashing algorithm in digital certificates could allow an attacker to spoof content, perform phishing attacks, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks,” Microsoft explains.
Windows 10 not affected
The Microsoft Download Center is the home of everything Microsoft, and you can find lots of useful files, such as older Windows 7 security updates (all Windows updates that Microsoft has already shipped for its operating system are also available on the Windows Update Catalog), driver kits, DirectX end-user runtimes, and others.
“In compliance with the Microsoft Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA)-1 deprecation policy, Windows Update is discontinuing its SHA-1 based endpoints in late July 2020. This means that older Windows devices that have not updated to SHA-2 will no longer receive updates through Windows Update. Your older Windows devices can continue to use Windows Update by manually installing specific SHA-2 enabling updates,” Microsoft warns.
While Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 are not affected, those still getting custom updates for Windows 7 can deal with this limitation by manually installing updates.