If you’re running an E-commerce website or any site that requires users to submit sensitive information, you need an SSL certificate. It’s a ranking factor for Google, and it inspires confidence in users. SSL certificates work by digitally binding a cryptographic key to an organization’s details, and when installed on a web server, they enable secure connections between a browser and the server.
Authentication
If you collect sensitive customer information on your website, like their names and addresses or credit card details, it’s crucial to have SSL to keep that data secure from hackers. With SSL, all information sent between the browser and server is encrypted, which stops cybercriminals from intercepting it on the way to your site’s servers. When a browser connects to a web server secured with an SSL certificate, it asks the server to identify itself. The server sends back a copy of its SSL certificate, which contains the public key required for encryption. The browser checks the SSL certificate against a list of trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs) to authenticate the server’s identity.
If the distinguished name of the issuing CA matches one on the client’s list of trusted CAs, then the certificate is verified and the connection established. EV certificates also display the business’s name in the browser’s address bar to help users distinguish legitimate websites from those that are not.
Encryption
SSL certificate protect data with encryption, preventing hackers from intercepting information. It’s essential to businesses that collect sensitive customer information, like credit card details or home addresses, as today’s savvy consumers won’t stay on a website if they get a pop-up warning suggesting the site isn’t secure. A browser and a server exchange a key, called a session key, which they both use to encrypt and decrypt messages. This is called symmetrical encryption. The server’s public key is available to anyone, but its private key is kept secret and only accessible by its owner.
EV SSL certificates display the padlock, HTTPS, business name and country in the address bar to show website visitors that they’re connecting over a secure connection. This increases consumer trust and can help diminish the risk of phishing scams or man-in-the-middle attacks. EV certificates require that the website goes through a rigorous verification process to validate ownership. This includes a check that the domain name is owned by the business, and a check to confirm that the registered company name is correct.
Privacy
SSL certificates can help you inspire confidence among your customers by ensuring that any information they submit through your website is private and secure. This is because a certificate authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts any information sent over it, scrambling it into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to its original form with the proper decryption key. This prevents eavesdropping by anyone trying to intercept the information being transferred between your site and a visitor’s browser. It also prevents hackers from stealing your customers’ credit card numbers or other personal information.
There are several different types of SSL certificates, each with its own strengths, verification processes, and costs. Consider how much security you need for your business, and choose an SSL with a validation level that matches. For example, Organization Validated (OV) SSLs provide a medium level of validation and display your company name and domain in the browser’s address bar.
Security
SSL certificates create a secure link between a web server and a browser, so any information you send online is kept private. This protection is achieved through the use of public and private keys that create a cryptographic handshake. Without an SSL certificate, hackers can eavesdrop on the conversation between your website and visitors. This can lead to identity theft and other malicious activities, so it’s important for websites to take every precaution to protect their customers’ data.
SSL certificates are essential for any business that collects personal information from visitors, including email addresses and credit card numbers. However, even if you don’t gather this information, an SSL certificate is recommended because search engines penalize unsecure sites and most modern browsers warn users against them. This can lead to a loss of traffic for your site. For added security, consider an Organization Validated (OV) or Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate, which adds a layer of authentication that can boost visitor trust in your brand.
Conclusion
An SSL certificate encrypts the information sent between a website and a visitor’s browser. This helps inspire trust on the Internet and may be required by some payment processing companies. SSL certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs). These small data files bind a cryptographic key to a domain name, server name or hostname and verify the organization’s details.
