Secure Sockets Layer is a cryptographic protocol that enables secure communication over the network. This ensures that the users' private data is not shared with an unauthorized middleman. SSL has become a vital metric for the proper security of a website. In this article, we will be discussing SSL certificate and how it is helping users and websites in terms of security.
What is SSL
SSL is a secure socket layer that ensures the integrity and privacy of our information as it is transmitted from the website to the server. This typically includes passwords, credit card information, and so on.
It issues an SSL certificate to the website and the server, using two distinct keys. This certificate verifies the server's identity that you have designated as trusted. As long as they have the certificate, all browsers can communicate using this protocol.
By inspecting the address bar, we can determine whether or not a website has a certificate. If it begins with "HTTPS," it is protected by a secure socket layer. Usually, a green lock appears to the left of the "https://..". It would be best never to trust or use a website that does not provide you with a secure connection.
What is an SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is a one-of-a-kind license issued to a website that assures users that it is legitimate and that their data is secure.
An SSL certificate is only trustworthy if it is issued by a reputable Certificate Authority (CA). A CA's reputation is built by adhering to very strict rules and policies regarding who may or may not receive an SSL certificate. Customers, clients, and partners are more likely to trust you if you have an SSL certificate from a reputable CA.
An SSL certificate also encrypts your data through asymmetric cryptographic algorithms, ensuring that the private data is encrypted and not transferred in its original form, thereby preventing Man-in-the-middle attacks. An asymmetric key encryption algorithm means two keys are used for encryption, namely public and private keys.
Advantages of SSL
- The SSL protocol is the fundamental component for protecting your customers from online threats. This ultimately attracts a large number of users to your website as users are not concerned about security.
- It safeguards all sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and other sensitive information shared between your website and third parties and keeps it private.
- SSL certificates are vital for creating credibility with the customers. The customers are not concerned about the website's authenticity and are assured that their confidential data is in the right hands.
Certificate Authority (CA)
A Certificate Authority is the entity in charge of issuing SSL certificates to users. It is always advisable to obtain your certificate from a reputable organization. IdenTrust, DigiCert, Sectigo (Comodo Cybersecurity), Lets Encrypt, and Monovm are some of the most popular Certificate Authorities.
You can get a free SSL certificate from letsencrypt and this is quite good for starting out rather than having no SSL certification. However, we highly recommend to buy SSL certificate (security certificate) from a reputable CA as mentioned above.
Conclusion
In this article, we went through the details about SSL certificate and how it ensures security for the users. SSL is a cryptographic protocol that follows asymmetric key encryption algorithms for secure data transmission. Certificate Authority issues SSL certificates to the customers, making the website trustworthy for its users.
