Security Certificate
Security Certificate Definition
A security certificate is a digital file that helps verify a website’s identity and enables HTTPS encryption. It’s issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA) and contains details such as the site’s domain name, the CA’s digital signature, and the certificate’s expiration date. Websites that use valid certificates display a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar. Their URLs also start with “https” instead of “http.”
How a Security Certificate Works
A website stores its security certificate on its server and send a copy to a visitor’s browser during the initial connection. The browser checks whether the certificate is valid, trusted, and not expired. If everything checks out, the browser and the servers generate encryption keys and establish a secure HTTPS session, which protects any data exchanged between them.
Advantages of Security Certificates
- Encryption: Helps browsers and websites keep exchanged data private.
- Visitor trust: Signals that a website has been verified and uses secure connections.
- Search rankings: Can improve visibility as search engines often rank secure websites higher.
Security Certificate Validation Levels
- Domain validation (DV): Confirms the applicant controls the website’s domain.
- Organization validation (OV): Verifies the organization behind the domain is legitimate.
- Extended validation (EV): Offers the highest level of trust for a website’s authenticity.
Types of Security Certificates
- Single domain certificate: Secures one specific domain name or one subdomain.
- Multi-domain certificate: Allows a single certificate to protect multiple domains.
- Wildcard certificate: Applies to one domain and all of its subdomains.
TLS vs SSL Security Certificate
Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) are cryptographic protocols that encrypt web traffic. Although people often use the term “SSL certificate,” almost all modern certificates use TLS, which replaced SSL due to stronger security and updated performance.
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FAQ
A security certificate is a digital credential that verifies a site’s authenticity and enables secure connections between it and a browser. A site with a certificate shows a padlock icon in the address bar, and its address starts with “https” instead of “http.”
When a web browser visits a site, it checks its security certificate. If it’s valid, the browser and website establish an encrypted connection. This keeps shared data private and makes it harder for cybercriminals to monitor it.
Security certificates enable website encryption to secure visitor traffic, protecting against certain cyber threats. A certificate also makes sites easier to trust and might help them rank higher than unsecured sites on search engines.
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