SSL Certificates and Their Significance for your Reseller Business

SSL Certificate

With the rising popularity of e-commerce and growth in the number of online shoppers, there is a growing concern on the security of online transactions. With so many hackers and internet thieves out there to attack your websites and steal your client’s sensitive information, there must be proper arrangements made to ensure the security of your website as well as all online business transactions.

SSL Certificates-Abbreviation for Secure Socket Layer, are designed to do just that: secure your business transactions and ensure the safety of your all important data and information being exchanged online.

As a domain and hosting reseller, it becomes important to advise your clients, to secure their websites, especially e-commerce websites that involve payment transactions and exchange of sensitive information of customers’ bank details.  In India, business owners are yet to fully realize the importance of an SSL certificate and securing their websites against any hacking or phishing attack. It is only a small percentage of total websites (both static and dynamic websites) that have an SSL certificate embedded on them. It is only when websites are compromised or they lose their sensitive data to hackers or online thieves that their owners realize they should have their secured by an SSL certificate.  Once you lose your data, it becomes a real challenge to start afresh and create a new website.  Also, if, unfortunately, your bank details are stolen, you can just imagine the repercussions it will have both on your personal as well as professional life.   It is so surprising to know that despite knowing the risk that they carry, we still see websites, involving exchange of sensitive information and online transactions, existing without any SSL certificate on them. As a web hosting reseller, you provide web services like domain registrations, web hosting and Email solutions to your clients; and, most of the times, design their websites as well; then, why not also suggest them to secure their website with an SSL Certificate; especially if their website is going to be an e-commerce website. Most of the domain name registrars also have an SSL reseller options and provide attractive discounts on the various SSL certificates they offer. You can check with your partner Domain Registrar if they have SSL certificates in their product offering as well; and if not, then you may want to directly sign up for a reseller account with any of the major SSL service providers like Symantec, GeoTrust, Thawte, Norton and so on.

In addition to giving your handsome margins on sales, SSL certificates will ensure that you design fully secured websites to your clients also.

SSL Certificates - Low Cost, High Assurance, Secure Sockets Layer!

SSL Certificate

The SSL certificate means a Netscape developed protocol called Secure Sockets Layer. For the purpose of communicating with clients on the web, in a secure manner, installation of secure site SSL certificates are made. If the installation of this certificate is not done on the server, then anyone can view or intercept the website for information. 

SSL certificates at low cost and high assurance have a lot of advantages to it. Potential buyers start gaining trust in your website which is one of the main advantages. If the secure URL is different then, many of the customers do not feel comfortable in putting up details of the credit card on the site.  

Customers Feel Confident Enough
Consider a high assurance, low cost dedicated SSL so that customers feel confident to furnish details of their credit card on your cart for shopping. A SSL that is dedicated also shows that the web certificate is dedicated to your site and in the name of your company.

If yours is an ecommerce site then it is necessary to have the SSL certificate. In a secured manner this protocol helps in private document transmission. Once you have this certificate it secures your site and enables you to use the ecommerce cart or the shopping cart securely on the site. 

Three Types of Validation 
Instead of using http:// the certificate allows browsing with https://. Security of information on bank accounts and credit card numbers which is extremely confidential is ensured. Once the SSL certificate is purchased, its validation has to be performed in three different ways. One is organizational validation, domain validation and extended validation.

In the case of organizational validation, information from multiple sources is checked for the business. This is for ensuring the business names, names of the owners etc matches with business registration. With listings of businesses locally, the details also should perfectly match. A secure SSL certificate is issued when a check is done to ensure that with the business listings locally match well. For certificate verification the organizational validation method is used. All information required for business verification can be used.

Affordable Method
The next is domain validation, the most affordable method done at the domain level. For checking whether or not the person who controls the domain is the recipient, an email is sent to a domain associated account. To determine whether or not the domain’s legitimate owner is the person, the email is not provided guarantee. Validation can be done by calling up the person. It is only the SSL certificate which helps ensuring proper verification of business.

In the case of extended validation a popular method, on the address bar of the browser. A highlight in green for the business name and site appears. All information is verified after contacting the owner of the domain via a number taken from the phone directory locally. Two weeks are taken for issuing the SSL certificate using extended validation. A certificate that is designed by self is another option for SSL certificate validation.  In a web browser, display of a warning appears to ask if the user is interested in proceeding or not.

What is SSL?

Secure Sockets Layer or SSL is basically an encryption technology that builds a safe and secure session between a website visitor and a website. An SSL Certificate is a digital computer file that is primarily used to encrypt or decrypt information that is send to and from the website.

SSL certificates are considered very crucial for businesses that indulge in taking online orders and payments or those that process crucial data, such as birth dates, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers among others.

These certificates help the website visitors to know that site belongs to who it says it belongs to. An SSL certificate also provides information about the holder of the certificate, the domain name that the certificate was issued to, and the name of the Certificate Authority who issued the certificate.

What Is SSL And How Does It Function?

SSL Certificates

Many of the financial institutions online, government offices and corporate offices utilize a particular encryption termed as Secure Sockets Layer also called the SSL security certificate. Now what exactly is SSL? To transmit data that is sensitive over networks that are insecure like the web, this encryption method called the SSL is used.

Two keys are used in this service, known as Public Key that encrypts data and the other Private Key that not only decrypts data but also creates Public Key. It is possible to have a secure email transaction on the web that is fully secured by using the above keys in two sets. It must be noted that both the parties involved in the transaction should have the Public Key of the other.

Prevention of MITM Attacks
To ensure verification of the Public Key the SSL digital certificate comes into the picture. It helps in making sure that there is no tampering done with the Public Key. Attacks by Man in the Middle or the MITM are prevented due to this. Otherwise the MITM is an attacker who first captures the data and then makes certain modifications in the data while it is in transit.

To make sure that the security certificate proves to be of best use, the SSL certificates have to be trusted as well otherwise in the certificate too modifications could be made by the attacker like they would do in the case of Public Keys. With the availability of Certificate Authorities or the CAs there is no need for end users to do the verification manually.

Signed Duly By CA
The certificates SSL are duly signed by the CAs thus allowing users to browse in a normal way with the transaction being well secured in the process. The SSL Certificate could be signed with any website that is reliable. There are a number of popular websites which can be termed as reliable these days since they use the SSL Certificates.

Even the strongest of encryption can be handled well by the fastest of computers in today's times due to the provision of SSL certificates. When the certificate is signed by the CA it must be installed. Procedures for installing the SSL digital certificate is quite simple and need just a few changes to be made in the dedicated server that is being secured.

Expiry Date Is Important
Once the certificate installation is done, till the date of expiry it functions which from the date of issue is, around 12 months. An expiry date is provided in case of theft of a certificate from a site if the server that is being managed becomes compromised. The certificate can be revoked by the CA in such a case and the websites credibility to send a secure email which was secured previously can now be maintained.

Another important thing to note is that the certificates SSL function on domains that have been signed for only. A separate SSL Certificate is applicable for each of the domain names individually. Even if a particular payment has to be made for obtaining the SSL certificate it pays off in a big way when criminals do not capture the data that has been transmitted.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/web-hosting-articles/what-is-ssl-and-how-does-it-function-6050541.html

About the Author

Jass Sawhney specialises in writing for services in the IT sector. He has in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of web hosting, windows hosting, Linux web hosting, domain names, domain search, domain name search, domain reseller, cloud server, reseller hosting, website builder, website creator, SSL, SSL certificates, SSL digital certificates, business emails and email services among others.

Why Do You Need Web Security Certificate?

SSL Certificates

In development countries, more shopping is done online than conventionally. Most of us have purchased railway tickets or air tickets on the net or paid our bills without a glitch. For those who cannot shop abroad, buying things that are made abroad has become easy using the internet. But the chance of things going wrong and data related to credit cards being stolen is very real. Every now and then we hear about phishing by cyber thieves resulting in loss of money for individuals.

New Weapon to Fight Cyber Squatters
Businesses that function online do not want to lose customers who may have reservations about using their credit cards. The latest weapon in the security armoury is secure SSL or Secure Sockets Layer. This is an internet protocol that encrypts online transactions. This ensures security and keeps data safe during transactions that take place over the net.

The coding and decoding is incorporated via the use of two keys. They are referred to as the public key and the private key. The private key can be accessed only by the website owner and the public key is used by all visitors to the site.

The Way It Works
Individuals who illegally break into sites to siphon off data are called cyber squatters. This encryption using server certificate makes it impossible to extract sensitive information from sites. This is the way it happens. When a visitor fills in sensitive information like bank details or credit card number, sites that are protected by web certificate generates a cryptographic key.

As soon as the browser tries to connect to the web server it is sent a request to check whether the site is protected by secure SSL. In response, the server transmits a facsimile of the server certificate to the web browser for checking. The browser now has to approve the web certificate. If the browser verifies the web certificate, it messages the server. When no accreditation is sent, the browser alerts the user who can choose to ignore the warning and go ahead or the attempt can be aborted. The onus thus rests on the user to make a correct decision.

The Functions
SSL and certificates have clear functions to make the web more secure. Most of the SSL and certificates that now exist in the industry have uniform features but it is a good idea to review them before deciding which ones suits a particular site. The first function is web browser authentication. The main web browsers should be able to read the SSL Certificates. 

If the browser keeps rejecting the SSL, it is going to create doubt in the minds of users of the safety of the website. The best choice for buyers is the encryption of 128/256 bit. Most certificates are of this level. The issuing of SSL should be done very fast so that customer service is good. Get to know the details regarding the policy regarding cancellations and guarantees.

Before choosing a particular SSL, make sure you are assured of technical support and you can email for assistance. The company should be available on phone and chat round the clock. Installing a SSL or Secure Sockets Layer can do a lot for your business.