What is an SSL Certificate?
The initials SSL mean Secure Socket Layer.
This is a method of encrypting data on the internet, which creates a secure connection between a web/mail/ftp server and client software (Firefox, Outlook, etc.).
This will prevent data exchanged between 2 devices (server, computer: email or navigation program) from being read or tampered with by unwanted/malicious users.
SSL Certificate allows purchases to be made securely by credit card or the secure transmission of any sensitive information over the internet (e.g. email and documents).
How is an SSL Certificate issued?
If you want to activate an SSL on your server, you will need to order the SSL Certificate that suits your needs – usually from your hosting provider (we use MonoVM) or from a company that sells SSL certificates.
Once they receive the order they will ask you to fill in a series of questions about your website:
The address (URL: www.site.com) of your site and the name of your company and possibly legal documents for your business or organization.
To support SSL, your server will create two encryption keys: a Private Key and a Public Key.
The Private Key is so called because it should remain confidential and secure.
The Public key does not need to be private and is placed in a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) – a file that also contains your information.
From the management of the hosting of your domain, you need to create and send us the CSR of your server in order to proceed with the application for the issuance of your SSL Certificate.
Your server will match your issued SSL Certificate with your Private Key and will be able to create an encrypted connection.
Differences between SSL Certificates
The certification level defines the scope of the Certification of the owner of a website conducted by the Certificate Authority.
There are three (3) levels of certification in the SSL Certificates version:
Domain Validation (DV) SSL
The minimum possible SSL certification: only the ownership certification of the domain name of the Entity requested by SSL is made.
Organization Validation (OV) SSL
The existence and validity of the Data of the Organization/Enterprise and the ownership of the domain is certified by the Agency.
Extended Validation (EV) SSL
It is a complete and strict certification of the validity, physical existence and legal function of the Legal/Natural person who owns the website, the ownership of the domain name and the fact that the Agency itself applied for ssl.
EV displays the Green Bar EV and the name of the certified SSL holder next to the name of the company providing the certificate.
The purpose of EV SSL is to allow users to separate legitimate and genuine websites from fake or phishing sites, building the necessary trust and to make online transactions and increase interaction with users.
