Review Configure a certification authority to use ML-DSA in Windows Server before AD/DNS changes

Keep this document to one review outcome: Review Configure a certification authority to use ML-DSA in Windows Server before AD/DNS changes. Only the official source and traced locations below supply facts. Confirm applicability before acting.

Source fact:

The official Configure a certification authority to use ML-DSA in Windows Server from Microsoft supports the following bounded statements:

• At Introduction below H1, Microsoft states: “This article describes how to configure Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) certification authorities (CAs) to use Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA) for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC).” The research record locates this support at Introduction below H1.
• At Introduction below H1, Microsoft states: “ML-DSA is a digital signature algorithm standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), designed to resist quantum computing attacks.” The research record locates this support at Introduction below H1.

Keep the evidence boundary at these traced claims. They support a review of certification authorities, templates, enrollment paths, certificate subjects, private-key handling, and delegated PKI roles; they do not support conclusions outside the source’s stated conditions.

What the source does not establish

The cited page and retained statements do not establish the current state of any DSE or customer environment, prove that the documented configuration is applicable, or authorize a production change. Confirm supported versions, dependencies, and the current live source before use. Do not read the source as proof of implementation or permission to change production. Its guidance remains conditional on Active Directory, Windows DNS, time, domain-controller reachability, HTTP or LDAP publication, and protected administrative identities and the environment’s recorded constraints.

Applicability questions

• For source statement 1 at Introduction below H1, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here?
• For source statement 2 at Introduction below H1, which observable configuration, record, or test can confirm applicability here?
• Within certification authorities, templates, enrollment paths, certificate subjects, private-key handling, and delegated PKI roles, which versions, roles, and configuration states define the review population?
• Could Active Directory, Windows DNS, time, domain-controller reachability, HTTP or LDAP publication, and protected administrative identities invalidate the test, hide a failure, or change applicability?
• Who owns the decision, and which observation requires stopping, escalation, or rollback?

DSE recommendation:

DSE recommends using the cited source as the evidence anchor for this decision. Anchor the review in the cited section and keep observation separate from interpretation. Record the source location, examined part of certification authorities, templates, enrollment paths, certificate subjects, private-key handling, and delegated PKI roles, observed and expected states, owner, and reason for deviation.

If the review warrants change, use a bounded implementation with prerequisites, test population, monitoring, abort criteria, and a rehearsed reversal. Sequence checks for Active Directory, Windows DNS, time, domain-controller reachability, HTTP or LDAP publication, and protected administrative identities and sanitize protected material before retention.

Verification and evidence

Keep the source locations Introduction below H1; Introduction below H1 adjacent to the sanitized artifacts used for comparison. Prefer CA and template exports, enrollment tests, certificate chains, access-control entries, event logs, and revocation-path checks, with enough identity and timing data for an independent recheck.

Label this evidence set DSE-20260827-090 so observations, approvals, exceptions, and later rechecks cannot be substituted from another source review.

Record the decision even when no change is made, including uncertainty and the next trigger. Use safe testing conditions for disruptive work, preserve rollback proof, and revisit the conclusion after relevant platform, dependency, vendor, or ownership changes.

Official references

• Configure a certification authority to use ML-DSA in Windows Server — Microsoft