How to secure your website with an SSL Certificate…

By Jamie Hoyles, Clook Internet Account Manager

As more and more of us use the internet and publish content online, the prevalence of risks, vulnerability exploits and security threats also increases. A way to negate these challenges is to protect your domain with an SSL Certificate.

What is SSL?

Secure Socket Layer – or SSL - is a technique for encrypting and authenticating data traffic over the web in order to improve the security of your website. SSL is installed to the hosting server and encrypts communications. Higher level SSL Certificates will undergo stringent vetting on the organisation applying for the certificate whilst the validation on entry level certificates is only checked against the domain ownership.

When SSL is enabled, the transfer of data between the web server and browser is secured. For online shops, membership databases, etc where confidential and sensitive information is regularly transferred, using an SSL certificate is a necessity.

Here are some examples of types of sensitive data that should be protected with SSL encryption: Registration data: names, addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers Login data: e-mail addresses and passwords Payment information: credit card numbers, bank details Data entry forms Customer documents Using SSL helps keep communication safe from those looking to snoop into or manipulate personal data.

How to identify SSL?

The most common way to see whether a domain has an SSL Certificate installed is to look for a padlock icon within the URL bar of your browser. Another way you may tell is that the regular protocol of http has been changed to https – both of these will identify that a website is secure.

The higher level certificates (Extended Validation will also turn the URL bar green.

How to secure your domain?

SSL certificates are issued by organisations called Certificate Authorities, also known as Signing Authorities. Our provider is Globalsign, a global, well established company who are specialists in digital security. Their clients include the BBC, Netflix & Dell so you can rest assured you are in good hands.

Usually your SSL Certificate will be supplied by your web host who will also be able to install the certificate on your server. Customer input is minimal – simply place an order, enter your configuration details (Domain & Contact Information), validate and away you go.

SSL is most often used with business/e-commerce websites but with Google using SSL as a ranking tool, we are seeing more and more smaller, personal websites taking advantage of the cheaper certificates which are ideal for those basic needs.

Types of SSL Certificate

Alpha SSL This certificate comes with a basic level of encryption. The AlphaSSL is ideal for personal websites or small businesses without e-commerce. Quick to validate, these certificates can be installed within a couple of hours of ordering.

Domain SSL This SSL provides medium range coverage. A DomainSSL is ideal for small-to-medium businesses or organisations without complex security needs beyond basic e-commerce.

Organisation SSL With increased recognition, OrganizationalSSL is perfect for medium-to-large businesses or organizations with complex security needs and those storing customer accounts and sensitive information.

Wildcard SSL A wildcard SSL allows multiple subdomains to be covered under one certificate – eg shop.yourdomain.com; mail.yourdomain.com, etc. These are available to add to Alpha, Domain & Organisation SSLs.

Extended Validation (EV) SSL This SSL Certificate shows the green URL bar in browsers and provide the most extensive recognition, coverage and warranty. EVSSL is ideal for high-security businesses and organizations with extremely sensitive personal or financial information.

Adding SSL to Your DomainSecuring a domain is easy with SSL, and a huge positive in terms of risk mitigation, customer confidence and now SEO rankings. You can view our full range of GlobalSign SSL certificates here. For advice on which SSL Certificate is right for you contact us today…