Understanding SSL Certificate Authentication & Validation

SSL certificates are standard security protocol, an essential component of the data encryption process that keep internet transactions secure and prevent criminals from reading and modifying information transferred with other personal details. SSL certificates are digital passports that provide authentication to protect the confidentiality and integrity of website communication with browsers.

The primary function of SSL certificate’s is to initiate secure sessions with the user’s browser via the secure sockets layer (SSL) protocol because the information you send on the internet is transmitted from computer to computer before it gets to the destination server. This secure connection can only be established with installing and using SSL certificate on your site, which digitally connects your information to a cryptographic key.

There are two basic functions of SSL/TLS certificates as a digital passports that provide security and authentication to protect: one is encryption and the other is trust.

Certification Authorities (CAs): Vouch for the authenticity of a website by verifying the registration of the site’s domain name and sometimes the people behind it. CAs provide the most basic security and business process principles in validating and authenticating public key infrastructure to create trust relationships between the users and providers.

Presently there are three major certificate validation levels process.

*Domain Validation (DV)

*Organization Validation (OV)

*Extended Validation (EV)

Domain Validation SSL

Domain Validation SSL certificates are the most basic of the three types of SSL/TLS certificates, a website secured with a DV certificate only offers a locked padlock display in the visitors’ address bar, indicating it’s safe to submit passwords, contact information or donations. To get a Domain Validation SSL you have to prove that you own the domain by responding to an email using the information in the WHOIS record of the domain from the provider. Your company does not have to be validated as no organization name is entered in the certificate because the domain ownership, can be acquired anonymously, and do not link a domain to a person, place or entity or show organization details.

Organization Validation SSL

Organization Validation SSL is the minimum certificate recommended for e-commerce transactions as it provides the consumer with additional information about the business and boost your credibility by confirming the authenticity of your business. OV SSL Certificate displays a small padlock and HTTPS prefix in the visitor’s browser bar, letting them know they’re on an encrypted and legitimate site.

EXTENDED VALIDATION SSL

EV certificates comes with the highest level of authentication and are the most preferred by online users because they have more trust indicators and are seriously vetted, which includes domain, business identity and legal status address verification as well as crosschecks that connect the entity to a specific location. This type of verification leaves a detailed paper trail providing customers with recourse should fraud take place while transacting on that website. EV certificates get the green lock icon in the browser address bar and your company name highlighted in green to boost conversion and Google ranking.

BENEFITS OF USING SSL CERTIFICATE

  • Protect customer and internal from eavesdropping, man-in-middle-attack and sniffing attacks from your website.
  • Create secure payments experience for your customers and safe shopping
  • Increase brand value and boost google ranking
  • Build customer trust with extended authentication and improve conversions
  • Encrypt browser-to-server communication leaving no room for an interceptor to decipher your information.
  • Increase security of your mobile and cloud apps to prevent hackers form eavesdropping on your browser to server communication.

SSL AUTHENTICATION

SSL authentication is the use of a digital certificate to identify a user, machine, or device to determine whether the client should be allowed access before granting access to a resource or network etc. With SSL user authentication, you can be sure that you are sending information through the browser to the right server and not to a rogue machine or an unauthorized user trying to steal your information.

At the end of the day, let the customers know their private details are safe by protecting customer transactions and data with SSL certificate. If you are looking for how to get an SSL certificate that fits your budget, I would recommend buying one of our trusted SSL certificate.