Question from a newbie: My current certificate's expiration date is for 5 years from now. Is it possible to increase the duration of this cert (by creating a new one with the same specs but a longest expiration time) while I remain my current user here?

5 days ago · 👍 half_elf_monk

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5 Replies

@half_elf_monk I think I found the answer I was looking for. There is a workaround if you use the multiple identities feture.

See gemini://station.martinrue.com/updates Jul 10th 2022 · 5 days ago

Thanks @half_elf_monk! I think that 5 years is a lot of time so I guess there won't be any problem if I continue here and I have to create another user account then · 5 days ago

Again, I'm basically a newbie, but I think certificates are a lot less like long-term user accounts, and more like "the time-bound verification that certifies accurate transmission of data to/from these locations." It's more analogous to changing a password than getting a permanent account, which is why having certs-that-expire is something of a security feature, rather than a bug. If one cert gets compromised/pwned, the compromisation won't last forever. · 5 days ago

A better idea while here is, I think, to add other cert/signatures to your account, so they have leapfrogging longer expiration dates. That's an option in station's account page, if I understand it rightly. · 5 days ago

I'm also basically a newbie, but I'm pretty sure the answer is: "no." Certificates are generated by cryptographic mathematical wizardy at the time of their creation; extending the expiration date would mean changing the math and thus the outputted signatures. · 5 days ago