This week, we are going to look at a very important aspect of online security. We will be talking about SSL, what it is and why it is so important that you have this on your website.
What is SSL?
So, what is SSL? Well, SSL is an acronym for (Secure Sockets Layer), which is a standard technology behind establishing an encrypted connection between a Web Server (Host) and a Web Browser (Client). This connection between the two makes sure that all the data passed between the Web Server and Web Browser remains private and secure. SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of websites to protect their online transactions with their customers. If you have ever visited a website using the https:// in the address bar you were creating a secure connection via SSL. If you are running an e-commerce website, SSL will help establish trust with your online customers. When you are using an SSL certificate, an encrypted connection is created between the user’s Web Browser and the Web server.
Why Is It Important?
In a nutshell, Secure Sockets Layer is used to secure the data transmitted over the internet between your computer and the destination servers. This could be the password you used to log into Facebook or your credit card information when you are purchasing something online, basically any important information you wouldn’t want others to know. Having an SSL certificate on your website means any information that is transmitted becomes encrypted by inserting random characters into the original message making it unreadable to everyone except the intended server. This means that any data transmitted between the Web Server and the Web Browser can not be read without first being decrypted. This protects the data from being spied upon by someone else on the internet because they will not be able to understand the encrypted data. This makes it nearly impossible for hackers to steal your information.
Should I Use SSL?
If you have a website, especially one where online payments or transactions are made, SSL is a must – no if’s, and’s, or but’s. Not only does SSL help keep your customer’s information safe, having SSL on your website keeps their mind at ease as well because it also provides authentication. You want to make sure whatever you are sending over the internet is going to the right server. At the beginning of 2017, Google started labeling any websites that do not have SSL as “Not secure.” When you go to our website or any other renowned website like Facebook, you know it is the actual website and not a fake website because you can see the green padlock in the navigation bar. Another way is by seeing the “HTTP” replaced with “HTTPS” in the URL. If you don’t, then the website is not secure and is probably made to look like the real one where identity thieves can steal your information. While the details of the SSL protocol are not displayed to the visitor, most browsers will display a lock or some other form of identification in the address bar. This will indicate if you are currently protected by an SSL encrypted session. If you would like the details of the SSL certificate you can simply click on the lock.
What Does SSL Mean To Visitors?
Most SSL Certificates contain the domain name, company name, address, city, and country. They also contains the expiration date of the certificate and the details of the Certificate Authority (the company who issued the SSL). Whenever a browser attempts to establish an SSL connection to a website it checks to make sure the certificate is not expired, has been issued by a trusted authority, and is being used for the correct website. If any of these checks fails your web browser will display a warning letting the user know that the site is not secured by SSL.
How Is SSL Installed?
To install SSL on your server, a CSR (certificate signing request) must be generated. This determines which server will use your certificate as well as the domain names using the SSL. Once this is done, you are able to request an SSL certificate. As a policy, all websites that are hosted by Exponent Technologies are installed with SSL certificates and thus you will not have to go through all the complex steps in getting an SSL certificate for your domain.
That’s all on SSL Certificates for now. We hope that if you were not very familiar with SSL, then you’ll start to notice it more and more and if you do come across a website that doesn’t have SSL, think twice before submitting any information.