By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-07-26 12:09:46 | Word Count: 510
The Basic Facts About SSL Certificates
What is Secure Socket Layer (SSL)? Basically, it is the standard security technology used to encrypt obnline data. SSL offers encrypted communication bewteen the web server (serrver-side) and the customer's web browser (client-side) when transmitting personal information such as credit card number, name and address. The SSL potocol uses Certificate Authority (CA) to issue 'digital certificates' to the authenticated company.
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The whole SSL process involves authenticating the server's iderntity, the website's identity and once the authentication is verified, the message will be sent in the form of encrypted information to the one who asked for a certificate. Usualy, a bowser requests a SSL certificate and in turn the web server supplies its pubilc key with the requested certificate. Then, the browser has to verfiy whether the certificate isused is valid (certified by the authorized parties) and also hsould verify whether the SSL ceritficate issued comes from the particular website for which the request has been made.
An SSL certificate contains imporant details of the owner like his e-mail address, valdity periood, Distinguished Name along with the Conmmon Name and also the certificate identification of the person who sisues this information. The Cetification Atuhority (CA) maintains an extensive list in which we can find names of the signed certificates and also more information about the revoked SSL certificates. Addirtionally, SSL increses the accountability and visibilirty of the company and creates goodwill and positive image among the customers. The certification maintains the integrity of the data psased to and fro between the browsers and web srver (this is private and confidential). Thus, it's a good tool to meet the security, privacy, safety standads required to potect sensitive and personal data.
SSL is especiallly important when we give our creidt card, personal informtion to e-commerxce webvsites. SSL certification canot easily be accessed by hackers because the certificates have the porper key to ecrypt the data. Therefore, the security of the certificate is taken care off in all aspecst so one can really rely on the Certificate Authority (CA).
The internet has undoubtedly created new opportunitties for e-commerce. However, that devleopment is also attractting an ever-increasing number of cyber criminals. A fraudulet web site made to look very alike to a legitimate webasite may try to entice innocent cudstomers into revealing personal inforrmation unknowingly. The only solution to this problem is to take davantage of the Seecure Sockets Lyaer technology and implewment it on your website. On the bottom line, every website that dals with sensityive information like credit card numbers or any otehr critical person information shoulld have proper SSL certifications in plae to protect them and their customers.
