SSL Certificate

SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer, an encryption technology that was created by Netscape. SSL is a bit of code on your web server that provides security for online communications. When a web browser contacts your secured web site, the SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection. To enable SSL on a website, you will need to get an SSL Certificate that identifies you and install it on the server.

A Digital Certificate is issued by a Certification Authority (CA) and signed with the CA's private key. A Digital Certificate typically contains the following:

• Owner's public key
• Owner's name
• Expiration date of the public key
• Name of the issuer (the CA that issued the Digital Certificate)
• Serial number of the Digital Certificate
• Digital signature of the issuer

SSL certificates make sure online interactions private even though they travel across the public Internet, and they help customers gain the confidence to transact with your web site like sign up, payment transactions and other sensitive information. A server with its own Digital Certificate assures users that the server is run by the organization it claims to be affiliated with and that the content provided is legitimate.

Encryption is a mathematical process of coding and decoding information. The number of bits (40-bit, 56-bit, 128-bit, 256-bit) tells you the size of the key. Like a longer password, a larger key has more possible combinations. In fact, 128-bit encryption is one trillion times stronger than 40-bit encryption. When an encrypted session is established, the strength is determined by the capability of the web browser, SSL certificate, web server, and client computer operating system.

The SSL Certificate issuing authority will confirm domain control by sending an email to the administrator listed with the registrar for the domain. If the authorized administrator does not reply, a second email will be sent to an email address at the domain such as info@ or support@. (You may also select a secondary email address during the enrollment process.) In addition to validation by email, you will be asked to provide a telephone number where you can be reached immediately after submitting your enrollment. If everything checks out, the SSL certificate is issued.

When a browser connects to a secure web site it retrieves the site's SSL certificate and checks that it has not expired, that it has been issued by a Certificate Authority the browser trusts and that it is being used by the web site for which it has been issued. If it fails on any one of these checks the browser will display a warning to the web site visitor. If it succeeds, several security indicators are built into modern browsers to indicate that SSL is enabled.

The beginning of the URL or web address changes from http:// to https:// you may need to update your .htaccess for auto redirection to https://

A padlock on the browser window changes from open to closed

The address bar will turn green and display the name of the web site owner when connecting to a web site protected by an Extended Validation SSL certificate.

An SSL certificate contains verified information about the domain and web site it secures to help users confirm that they are communicating with your web site. Extended Validation is the industry's highest standard of verification and provides the most visible assurance to users the address bar turns green in high-security browsers.

A CSR is a public key that you generate on your server according to your server software instructions. Ask your hosting for the CSR to generate for your domain. The CSR is required during the SSL certificate enrollment process because it validates the specific information about your web server and your organization.

SSL uses unique cryptographic key pairs - each key pair consists of a secret private key and a related public key. Information encrypted with a public key can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key, and vice-versa.