PKCS Device Certificate

Handian Sudianto 7,421 Reputation points
2026-08-09T23:59:05.2666667+00:00

Is UPN can work if the PKCS set to device certificate?

Windows for business | Windows Server | Directory services | Certificates and public key infrastructure (PKI)
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Answer accepted by question author
Marcin Policht 105.8K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2026-08-10T00:08:32.33+00:00

For device-only PKCS authentication, the certificate needs to identify/authenticate the device (computer account), not a user. If the certificate contains a user UPN such as ******@domain.com, certificate mapping can resolve that identity to the user account. A system expecting machine/device authentication will be operating in the wrong security context and will reject the certificate.

So, if your question is “Can I put a user UPN in a PKCS device certificate and use that certificate for device-only authentication?” then the answer is no. The UPN would identify the user - device-only authentication needs an identity that maps to the computer/device account.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

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