What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a Web site to visiting browsers and encrypts information for the server via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. A PerformanceHost.net 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 will access the server’s digital certificate and establish a secure connection.

A certificate serves as an electronic “passport” that establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. Information contained in the certificate includes:

• The certificate holder’s name (individual or company)*
• The certificate’s serial number and expiration date
• Copy of the certificate holder’s public key
• The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority

To obtain an SSL certificate, one must generate and submit a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to a trusted Certification Authority, such as PerformanceHost.net, which will authenticate the requestor’s identity, existence and domain registration ownership before issuing a certificate.
*High Assurance Certificates only. Turbo SSL Certificates only contain the domain name and no information on the individual or company that purchased the certificate.

Public and Private Keys

When you create a CSR, the Web server software with which the request is being generated, creates two unique cryptographic keys: A public key, which is used to encrypt messages to your (i.e., the certificate holder’s) server and is contained in your certificate, and a private key, which is stored on your local computer and “decrypts” the secure messages so they can be read by your server. In order to establish an encrypted link between your Web site and your customer’s Web browser your Web server will match your issued SSL certificate PerformanceHost.net to your private key. Because only the Web server has access to its private key, only the server can decrypt SSL-encrypted data.

SSL Certificates Enable Safe and Convenient Online Shopping

A PerformanceHost.net SSL Certificate secures safe, easy and convenient Internet shopping. Once an Internet user enters a secure area — by entering credit card information, e-mail 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 scenes, ensuring an uninterrupted shopping experience for the consumer. 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 Web site (i.e., a site that is not protected with a valid SSL certificate), the browser’s built-in security mechanism will trigger 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 likely will look elsewhere to make a purchase.