Let's Encrypt certificate authority signs first cert

Let's Encrypt, a free automated open-source certificate authority (CA), has signed its first certificate – leading the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to celebrate "an important milestone in our march to encrypt all of the Web."

Announced in 2014, the companies behind Let's Encrypt intended to encourage the world's movement away from a plaintext web to one which is healthily wrapped in encryption.

The pitch for the CA claims it is "built on a foundation of cooperation and openness, that lets everyone be up and running with basic server certificates for their domains through a simple one-click process."

Talking to The Register, SSL Labs' author Ivan Ristic explained his enthusiasm for the project. While certificates themselves are quite cheap these days, often costing less than a domain name, "there remain a lot of costs involved in procuring the certificates."

While Let's Encrypt is free of charge, Ristic also applauded its automated renewals. This is key for "hosting providers who will be able to reduce costs considerably."

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