Security in information transmission is important for all Internet users as well as personal websites and business sites. Users want to be sure that the site they are landing on is what it claims to be. To be sure of this issue, we must be able to answer the question of what a certificate is and be familiar with its concepts.
What is a certificate, and why is it important in business?
Certificate means Website Security Certificate or website security certificate. This Certificate shows two things. One is to measure the validity of the site’s identity, and the other is to encrypt information for their safety. Therefore, learning about the Internet and network security and understanding these authentication and encryption tools are the first step to protecting your website and customer information.
A website license is for online business owners what a driver’s license is for a taxi driver; In both cases, you use the Certificate to verify your identity so that you can run your business, and at the same time, having it is associated with business security issues.
What is the certificate issuing authority?
A website security certificate is a digital seal of approval from a trusted third-party business, known as a Certificate Authority (CA). In other words, this Certificate is a digital file that contains information issued by a CA and shows that the website is secured using an encrypted connection. We also know this Certificate by these names:
What are the purposes of the Certificate?
To answer the question of a certificate, we must be familiar with its goals. A site security certificate is a type of Certificate that allows you to display that beautiful padlock in the address bar of your website. So regardless of what you prefer to call it, the purposes of SSL certificates are very important. This Certificate has the following objectives:
- Securing websites
- identity confirmation
- Customer Satisfaction
- Build credibility for the brand
- Making safe purchases for customers
- Build brand loyalty and repeat purchases
- Business growth and development
What is site authentication with a Certificate?
When you as a user want to buy from a site like Amazon, it is important for you that you are not dealing with a fake version of this website; Because, in this case, you will complete all the steps of the purchase and pay for the item in question; While this money will not be deposited into the account of the site owners and no goods will be sent to you.
Always remember that cybercrime is occurring at incredible levels, costing online businesses and consumers at least $1.5 trillion worldwide in 2018 alone. On the other hand, identity theft is also happening at a high level, and opportunists in cyberspace create fake websites to commit fraud with a legitimate appearance. But what is certificate authentication, and how is it done?
The site’s security certificate shows that the site in question is the site it claims to be. This authentication for the site is similar to the two-step authentication for cyberspace users at the time of account creation. Websites must also prove their identity to receive a certificate. Then you can ensure the website is secure through the lock icon and the Https abbreviation.
What is the connection between SSL and HTTPS in the field of Certificates?
Let’s assume that you have successfully obtained a master’s degree by completing university courses and courses; In this case, the master’s can be compared to HTTPS and the degree to SSL. Therefore, SSL is a certificate that shows that your site uses the HTTPS protocol and is a secure site approved by the website security certification authority.
Familiarity with the HTTP protocol
The name of the shortened HTTP protocol is Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. This protocol is responsible for transferring data between the client and the server. A client is a computer that requests a server.
In terms of using the HTTP protocol, when you enter an address, your request is sent to the server and the server sends you the information of the site you want. All data sent and received under the conditions of this protocol are insecure. In this situation, the https protocol was created and defined. After the definition of the https protocol in 2017, the Google search engine decided to put the label Not Secure next to the addresses of sites that do not use this protocol.
How does the HTTPS protocol work?
It is impossible to answer the question of what a certificate is without knowing the https protocol. The name of the https protocol contains the abbreviations of the term HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure, meaning “secure hypertext transfer protocol.” This protocol allows the safe transfer of information between cyberspace users and servers and between servers and websites. This feature is provided through information encryption. This protocol is also used to authenticate the site.
What is an SSL certificate?
The name of the SSL certificate stands for Secure Sockets Layer. SSL is a security technology with specific standards. This Certificate establishes an encrypted connection between the server and the browser. According to this Certificate, the information between the server and the browser the user uses remains confidential. In other words, your information will be available to hackers if a website does not have an SSL certificate.
The information that hackers are interested in may be a variety of domestic or international financial transactions and passwords or account information. Hacking attacks on this information and performing cyber-criminal acts are done in various ways.
For example, one of the common types of these attacks is installing a small spyware program on the server that hosts the site. When the site visitors fill in their information in one of the site’s forms, the spy software is activated, saves this information, and sends it to the hacker. But ideally, the SSL certificate prevents hacker attacks and data theft.
Why having a security certificate does not always mean safety?
We said that an SSL certificate makes your website more secure, And we emphasize again that it is so, But having an SSL certificate does not necessarily mean that the site that owns it is safe! This means a website can use a basic SSL certificate but still be a malicious site. This is because cybercriminals also use data encryption methods and SSL certificates.
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) reports that over half of the world’s phishing websites use the HTTPS protocol. Phishing is a way for cybercriminals to steal information such as username, password, 16-digit bank account number, second password, and CVV2 through electronic means of communication.
Yes, phishing is not just an email concern. Cybercriminals use phishing websites or fake sites to trick users and get their information. They do this using Domain Verified (DV) SSL certificates, the most important type of SSL certificate. The main problem is that some Certificate Authorities (CA) provide these certificates for free. It is better to learn about the types of SSL certificates for more information.
Getting to know the types of SSL certificates
Choosing an SSL certificate for site owners will be difficult if they do not know the features and differences between these certificates. On the other hand, the familiarity of virtual space users with these certificates helps them to become familiar with the general concepts of security in the Internet space.
1. DV SSL certificate
DV type SSL certificate is a type of Certificate that is associated with DV or domain validation companies. In this type of Certificate, the issuing authority makes sure that the domain name is in the possession of the person requesting the Certificate. This type of Certificate both means encryption of information and confirmation of their confidentiality and also means confirmation of the domain name.
2. OV SSL certificate
OV type SSL certificate is a type of SSL certificate in which, in addition to encrypting information between the browser and the server and verifying the domain name, the name of your company or organization is also verified and authenticated. This Certificate is suitable for websites that want to be sure that their audience will enter the company’s official website. Also, in this type of Certificate, the website visitor can see the official name of your company by clicking on the related icon and be assured of this.
3. EV certificate
EV type SSL certificate is another type of SSL certificate and the complete type. This Certificate has all the advantages of DV and OV certificates. At the same time, by using it, the company’s official name is inserted next to the domain name in the browser address bar of the site addressee. Therefore, your site’s audience will enter your site without any worries when they see this name.
4. Wildcard certificate
The wildcard certificate is a technical possibility you can get after receiving OV and DV-type SSL certificates. This Certificate ensures the safety of the main Domain and all site subdomains. For example, if you have a site called example.com, you can also secure a subdomain like: support.example.com.
How to get a website security certificate?
Typically, SSL certificate authorities charge a fee for issuing these types of certificates. Every reputable browser, including Chrome and Firefox, provides its users with a list of valid Certificate issuing authorities. This means that these browsers recognize these issuing authorities, and you can trust them.
The result of receiving these certificates is that when a user enters an address in the top bar of the browser, the desired website provides its security certificate to the browser. If this Certificate is approved by the browser and updated, then the site information will be provided to the user or site contact. Otherwise, you will be faced with an error message.
The process of obtaining a website security certificate begins by sending the requested information and documents to the email of the company providing the Certificate. After authentication by the certificate authority, the website can activate the received Certificate.
Another way to get a certificate is when the issuing authority asks the website to move several files on the server or change the DNS settings. In this way, the certificate issuing authority ensures that the person requesting the Certificate is the site administrator. Some reliable authorities for issuing website certificates include Microsoft, Neutron, and Goddess.
What are the benefits of a Certificate?
A website security certificate benefits you from various points of view. For example, some of these benefits are related to information security; Some improve the website’s SEO ranking, and others increase trust in the brand and lead to customer satisfaction and trust. Let’s review some of the benefits of a Certificate together.
1. Protection of sensitive information
Information sent on the Internet is transferred from one computer to another until it reaches the destination server. If your information is not encrypted, any computer between you and the server can see and receive all or part of your information, including your credit card information, username, password, or contact information.
An SSL certificate encrypts information so that it cannot be read until it reaches its intended server. No one can intercept or view information as it travels from your computer to the web servers.
2. Business identity verification
The primary use of an SSL certificate is to encrypt information so that it remains secure until it reaches the server. Verifying the website’s authenticity is the second main function of the SSL certificate. When you order an SSL certificate for your website, an authentication process is performed to ensure that the Domain belongs to your business. Some certificates, such as the True Business ID SSL certificate, provide additional validation. Of course, ordering and renewing it is difficult and costs more.
3. Increase trust in the brand
When you have an SSL certificate, savvy users can look at the certificate information to ensure the business information listed on the Certificate matches the website they are using. In contrast to insecure pages with a form to provide user information, a big red message such as “not secure” is displayed in the browser’s address bar in browsers such as Chrome and Firefox. Such a message greatly reduces brand credibility and customer trust.
4. Better ranking in search engines
For several years, the Google search engine has used the HTTPS protocol (secure websites with an SSL certificate) as one of its ranking factors. The studies conducted by the Banking site also confirm this importance for the Google search engine. So by not having an SSL certificate and therefore not having secure HTTPS pages, you are hurting your website’s ranking in search engines.
5. User privacy safety
No user is interested in knowing about his financial transactions, purchases, preferences, and interests, except for himself and the business he deals with. When business owners do not use an SSL certificate, they are actually compromising the privacy and safety of their website audience. While receiving it, they can rest assured that users’ information remains confidential.
6. Increase site speed
The encryption process in the HTTPS protocol makes this protocol slightly slower than the HTTP protocol. On the other hand, using the HTTPS protocol and having a website security certificate is one of the prerequisites for using the latest web security technologies. For example, using the HTTPS protocol allows you to increase the speed of the site pages by using protocols such as TLS1.3 and http/2.