Windows 7 users: You need SHA-2 support or no Windows updates after July 2019

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 users must have the SHA-2 code signature installed before July 16, 2019 to continue receiving Windows updates after that date. Microsoft issued this warning on February 15 via a support article.

The Windows operating system updates are signed twice using the SHA-1 and SHA-2 hashing algorithms to prove authenticity. A bug is occurring, due to "weaknesses" in SHA-1, Microsoft officials have previously announced that Windows updates would exclusively use the more secure SHA-2 algorithm. Customers running Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 SP2 must have SHA-2 code signing support installed by July 2019, Microsoft officials said.

Microsoft has released a schedule for migrating these operating systems to SHA-2, with support for the algorithm in stand-alone updates. On March 12, Microsoft plans a standalone update with support for SHA-2 panels for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. It will also provide WSUS 3.0 SP2 with the support required to provide SHA-2 updates.

Microsoft will provide a stand-alone update with SHA-2 code signing support for Windows Server 2008 SP2 on April 9, 2019.

On June 18, Windows 10 – 1709, 1803, 1809 and Server 2019 updates – will have their signatures changed from SHA-1 / SHA-2 to SHA-2 only without any customer action. required.

The complete schedule of transfers is available on the Microsoft support page.

SHA-1, or Secure Hash Algorithm 1, was introduced by the National Security Agency in 2002. It has been used in SSL certificates, encrypted communications, and code revision control systems. SHA-2 uses the SHA-1 algorithm, but uses different input and output sizes for much greater security. Microsoft has begun to block sites signed with SHA-1 certificates in its Edge and IE browsers by 2017.