Why Do You Need a SSL Certificate?

People are getting smart about online security. More and more of them are looking for the padlock icon and “https” prefix in the address bar of their browser before submitting personal information online. If your Web site doesn’t have an SSL Certificate, visitors may leave before making a purchase, creating an account or even signing up for a newsletter. But you can change all that with a SSL certificate.

For online businesses, security has become an issue of vital importance. Internet sales increase each year but consumer fear still holds back millions of potential shoppers from purchasing online. In today’s world, internet security does not only apply to eCommerce.

You need a SSL Certificate, When:

• You have an online store or accept online orders and credit cards.
• You collect and process sensitive data such as addresses, birth dates, license numbers, ID numbers, social security numbers or passwords.
• Your business partners, vendors or suppliers log in to confidential information on an extranet.
• You have offices that share confidential information over an intranet.
• You or your business need to comply with privacy and security requirements.
• You value privacy and expect others to trust you.

What is a SSL Certificate?

A 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 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 SSL certificate is simply 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 Technologies, which will authenticate the requestor’s identity, existence and domain registration ownership before issuing a 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 to your private key. Because only the Web server has access to its private key, only the server can decrypt SSL-encrypted data.

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