DirectSSL.co.uk
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SSL Certificates
About SSL
SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer. SSL has actually been superseeded by TLS - Transport Layer Security - though SSL is still the common name for the cryptographic protocols used and they are both very similar.
SSL is the method used on the internet which provides secure communication for such puroposes as web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging and other data transfers
So why do you need SSL? SSL is all about encryption. It creates a secure encrypted link between a server and a client. This link ensures that all data passed remains private and secure.
The most common use for SSL is to ensure security whilst trading on the internet. The padlock symbol that appears when using a secure website signals to potential customers that their details are safe whilst being transmitted. Without this valueable trust you are likely to lose custom!
Chained or Single Root Certificates? Every Internet browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Mozilla)
has a list of trusted or single root certificate authorities. Single Root Certificates mean the issuing certificate authority is already built in to most internet browsers.
To become a Single Root Certificate Authority the company has to have proven for a length of time that they are credible in offering high quality SSL certificates and that they are considered trusted.
Chained Root Certificates are lower quality. They have not been added to the list of trusted SSL providers in browsers. To get around this they derive their SSL
certificates from a company that already has an established trusted root. This can cause problems in some browsers as when ever the certificate is accessed
the browser has to look up both the chained certificate and then each certificate back to the root. This creates load and potential points of failure.
With the price of the cheapest single root certificate being so low it makes the risk of chained certificates pointless!
Wildcard? Wildcard SSL certificates enable the certificate to be used for multiple sub domains. For example secure.domain.co.uk, members.domain.co.uk secure2.domain.co.uk. These are often used by web hosts with multiple servers which need securing. For a single secure site wildcard is an unneccessary expence.