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TLS Certificate

GTS CA 1C3

About GTS CA 1C3

Operator
Google Trust Services LLC
Chains to
GTS Root R1
Key type
RSA
In use since
2020

Older Google Trust Services RSA intermediate still live on many long-lived certificates issued before the 2023 WE/WR hierarchy.

Predecessor generation; still valid, being phased out as certs renew to WE/WR.

Frequently asked questions

Is GTS CA 1C3 a legitimate certificate authority?

Yes. GTS CA 1C3 is a publicly trusted intermediate CA operated by Google Trust Services LLC and chained to GTS Root R1. It is recognized by all mainstream browsers and operating system trust stores. The certificate itself is not a phishing indicator — the same intermediate signs millions of legitimate sites.

Why does GTS CA 1C3 show up on phishing sites?

Google Trust Services LLC issues RSA domain-validated certificates automatically and at no cost (or very low cost), which is the exact workflow scammers need to put HTTPS on a throwaway domain. Domain validation only proves that the requester controls the domain name, not that the site behind it is trustworthy. phishunt lists the specific domains currently flagged below — those are the suspicious ones, not GTS CA 1C3 itself.

How do I verify a certificate issued by GTS CA 1C3?

In a desktop browser, click the padlock in the address bar and open the certificate viewer. Confirm the issuer chain ends at GTS Root R1, that the subject matches the domain you expect, and that the notAfter date has not passed. A valid GTS CA 1C3 certificate only proves TLS was negotiated correctly — always verify the domain name itself belongs to the service you intended to visit.

What is the difference between GTS CA 1C3 and WE1?

GTS CA 1C3 and its siblings (WE1, WE2, WR2) share the same operator (Google Trust Services LLC) and roll up to the same root (GTS Root R1). CAs rotate multiple intermediates so that if one key ever has to be revoked, the damage is contained. As a user, you can treat all of them as the same trust anchor.

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