SAP SuccessFactors SSL Certificate Change (April 2026): DigiCert Global Root G2 → DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5

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SAP SuccessFactors SSL Certificate Change (April 2026): DigiCert Global Root G2 → DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5

What customers and partners must do to prevent integration outages

Summary: SAP SuccessFactors is switching to the “DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5” Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in April 2026 for BizX, LMS, and RMK CDN URLs. If you (or any vendor connecting to SuccessFactors) use a custom trust store that currently includes “DigiCert Global Root G2”, you should add/trust the new G5 root certificate before April 1, 2026 to avoid TLS handshake failures.

Audience

  • SuccessFactors Admins / Platform owners
  • Integration & middleware teams (SAP BTP Integration Suite / CPI, SAP PO, MuleSoft, Boomi, custom apps)
  • Security / network teams (TLS inspection proxies, WAF, firewall appliances)
  • HRIT partners and vendors running SuccessFactors integrations

Why this matters

When a certificate chain changes, systems that rely on custom trust stores (rather than OS-managed trust) may fail to validate the new chain. The impact is usually sudden: integrations that worked yesterday begin failing with SSL/TLS errors.

What is changing (SAP communication)

SAP SuccessFactors will switch to the DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5 PKI in April 2026 for:

  • BizX
  • LMS
  • RMK CDN URLs

SAP also positions this as a move to stronger cryptography (longer key lengths / stronger hash).

Who is impacted (real-world scenarios)

You are most likely impacted if you have any of the following:

1) Middleware & integration runtimes

  • SAP BTP Integration Suite / CPI
  • On-prem middleware (e.g., SAP PO / PI, other ESBs)
  • API gateways and custom integration services

2) Custom applications calling SuccessFactors APIs

  • Java / Spring apps using a JVM truststore (cacerts) or app-specific keystore
  • Containerized apps with a pinned/managed CA bundle

3) Network and security components

  • TLS inspection / corporate proxy (SSL forward proxy)
  • WAF / security appliances that maintain their own trust stores

4) Third-party vendors

  • Any vendor tool that connects to SuccessFactors endpoints and uses its own trust store (very common)

Symptoms if you don’t act

Typical failure patterns during CA / PKI transitions:

  • Java: PKIX path building failed
  • SSLHandshakeException
  • unable to find valid certification path to requested target
  • Integrations failing immediately after the endpoint certificate chain changes

Recommended approach

Best practice: Trust both roots during the transition. Do not remove the old root preemptively. Instead:

  • Keep DigiCert Global Root G2 (existing)
  • Add DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5 (new)

Step-by-step: Implementation checklist

Step 1 — Inventory every place that validates SuccessFactors TLS

Create a simple list (one line each):

  • Middleware runtimes (CPI, on-prem middleware, API gateways)
  • Custom apps and scripts (Java, Python, Node, etc.)
  • Security appliances / proxies
  • Vendor-managed integrations

Tip: Don’t forget “silent” integrations: monitoring checks, scheduled extracts, file transfers, archival jobs.

Step 2 — Obtain the DigiCert G5 root certificate from an authoritative source

Download the trusted root certificate from DigiCert’s official repository/documentation (as per your internal change control process). For audit readiness, record:

  • Certificate subject / issuer
  • Thumbprint / fingerprint
  • Date added + systems updated

Step 3 — Import DigiCert G5 into the correct trust stores

Exact click paths vary by product/version—use your platform’s standard certificate import method.

A) Java-based runtimes (common for many integrations)

  • Import into the JVM truststore used by the runtime (often cacerts) or the app keystore
  • If running containers: bake it into the image or inject via a secure mechanism
  • Restart the runtime to ensure it reloads the truststore

B) Linux hosts / containers using OS CA bundles

  • Update the OS CA bundle used by that runtime
  • Restart services / pods after update

C) Windows-based components using OS trust

  • Import into Windows Trusted Root Certification Authorities (if the component uses OS trust)
  • Restart the service/app pool if required

D) Proxies/WAF/TLS inspection appliances

  • Add the G5 root into the appliance trust store
  • Validate that inspection policies still work end-to-end

Step 4 — Validate from the same network path your integrations run on

Don’t validate from your laptop if the integration runs in a different network segment.

  • Test a real API call (preferred): a lightweight OData/REST “health” call
  • Run a TLS handshake test from the runtime host
  • Ensure monitoring distinguishes TLS failures from authentication issues

Step 5 — Coordinate with vendors (most common hidden risk)

Send a simple questionnaire to every vendor that connects to SuccessFactors:

  • Do you use a custom trust store?
  • Have you added DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5?
  • Can you confirm successful validation before March 2026?

Cutover-ready plan (simple and effective)

T-30 days

  • Add G5 everywhere
  • Validate from prod-like paths
  • Vendor confirmations received

T-7 days

  • Increase monitoring sensitivity
  • Prepare rollback plan (truststore snapshots / backups)

Cutover week

  • Watch integration error dashboards closely
  • If failures occur: confirm certificate chain + truststore content first (before changing auth/config)

Copy-paste communication template (customer + vendors)

Subject: Action required — add DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5 for SAP SuccessFactors endpoints before April 1, 2026

Hello Team,
SAP SuccessFactors will switch PKI to “DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5” in April 2026 for BizX, LMS, and RMK CDN URLs. Systems using custom trust stores must add the new DigiCert G5 root CA before April 1, 2026 to avoid TLS handshake failures and integration disruption.

Please confirm once your trust store update and connectivity validation are completed.

FAQ

Do we need changes if we rely only on OS/browser trust?

Usually lower risk, but still validate. Some servers/runtimes ship with outdated CA bundles or pinned stores.

Should we remove the old G2 root?

Not unless SAP explicitly instructs it for your landscape. The safe approach is to trust both roots during transition.

Is this limited to BizX only?

SAP’s communication mentions BizX, LMS, and RMK CDN URLs as part of the April 2026 switch.

Conclusion

This is a straightforward but high-impact readiness activity. The most reliable way to avoid downtime is:

  1. Identify every truststore validating SuccessFactors endpoints
  2. Add the DigiCert TLS RSA4096 Root G5 root certificate everywhere applicable
  3. Validate end-to-end from the real runtime paths
  4. Confirm vendor readiness before the cutover window

Disclaimer

This blog provides general technical guidance based on SAP’s published communication. Always follow your organization’s security policies and change management procedures, and validate in non-production environments where possible. SAP product behavior may vary by landscape and integration architecture.

Tags

SAP SuccessFactors, TLS, SSL Certificate, DigiCert, Integration, CPI, BizX, LMS, RMK, Security, Trust Store, PKI

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