An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.
A certificate serves as an electronic “passport” that establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user’s browser accesses the server’s digital certificate and establishes a secure connection.
An SSL certificate contains the following information:
- The certificate holder’s name
- The certificate’s serial number and expiration date
- A copy of the certificate holder’s public key
- The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority
How does an SSL certificate work?
An SSL certificate ensures safe, easy, and convenient Internet shopping. Once an Internet user enters a secure area — by entering credit card information, email address, or other personal data, for example — the shopping site’s SSL certificate enables the browser and Web server to build a secure, encrypted connection. The SSL “handshake” process, which establishes the secure session, takes place discreetly behind the scene without interrupting the consumer’s shopping experience. A “padlock” icon in the browser’s status bar and the “https://” prefix in the URL are the only visible indications of a secure session in progress.
By contrast, if a user attempts to submit personal information to an unsecured website (i.e., a site that is not protected with a valid SSL certificate), the browser’s built-in security mechanism triggers a warning to the user, reminding him/her that the site is not secure and that sensitive data might be intercepted by third parties. Faced with such a warning, most Internet users will likely look elsewhere to make a purchase.
How to Check SSL installation
It is recommended to use Qualys® SSL Labs’ SSL Server Test for information about a website’s SSL’s configuration.
What is a Wildcard SSL certificate?
Wildcard SSL certificates secures your website URL and an unlimited number of its subdomains. For example, a single Wildcard certificate can secure www.coolexample.com, blog.coolexample.com, and store.coolexample.com.
Wildcard certificates secure the common name and all subdomains at the level you specify when you submit your request. Just add an asterisk (*) in the subdomain area to the left of the common name.
Examples
If you request your certificate for *.coolexample.com, you can secure:
- coolexample.com
- www.coolexample.com
- photos.coolexample.com
- blog.coolexample.com
If you request your certificate for *.www.coolexample.com, you can secure:
- www.coolexample.com
- mail.www.coolexample.com
- photos.www.coolexample.com
- blog.www.coolexample.com
What is an intermediate certificate?
Intermediate certificates are used as a stand-in for our root certificate. We use intermediate certificates as a proxy because we must keep our root certificate behind numerous layers of security, ensuring its keys are absolutely inaccessible.
However, because the root certificate itself signed the intermediate certificate, the intermediate certificate can be used to sign the SSLs our customers install and maintain the “Chain of Trust.”
What is a Multiple Domain (UCC) SSL certificate?
A Unified Communications Certificate (UCC) is an SSL certificate that protects multiple domains and subdomains. UCC certificates can be used on Secure Server hosting products to protect multiple websites, but the websites must all be on the same hosting account.
They’re ideal for Microsoft® Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016 and Microsoft Live® Communications Server.
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