Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol for website security. It protects online communication and transactions using the strongest encryption available. An SSL certificate validates the identity of your website, rather like a passport. Once activated it displays a padlock icon and https:// in your URL. These trust indicators let your customers know that your site is genuine, protected, and private.

As an online retailer, it’s your duty to protect the information that your customers share with you. An SSL certificate on your website scrambles or encrypts the traffic between a web server and a web browser. This means your customers' personal information is secure. Without SSL, any computer can intercept and steal credit card numbers, usernames, and passwords.

Google has stated that HTTPS will be a ranking signal. Excellent news - it means your website’s page ranking will be boosted if you have an SSL certificate.

All of them, but some sites are more vulnerable than others such as financial institutions, big-name brands, and government entities. You must use SSL protection if your website is PCI compliant and accepts payment cards, or does any of the following:

• Banking sites asking for financial information.
• If your website accepts payment cards (American Express, Diners Club International, MasterCard, Visa. Including credit, debit, prepaid, and gift cards), you have to comply with the credit card associations' rules about data security. The goal being to protect cardholder data. This has been standardised under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). If you don’t use an SSL certificate on your website, you won’t be complying with the PCI standards.
• Your website asks customers to provide personal or sensitive information such as email addresses, social security numbers, medical records, and passport numbers.
• You have login forms on your website asking users to enter their username and password.
• Your site provides webmail where users can login and read email in a secure environment.
• There are subscription pages for newsletters, mailing lists, etc.

The wildcard applies to the InstantSSL DV, Domain, and Organisation SSL certificates. The certificates are issued for the domain name specified in the initial application. If you buy a wildcard with one of these three certificates, it means that the common name specified is *.yourdomainname.com. You can then use the certificate on an unlimited number of subdomains and servers. You also have the option to add in the future.

If you need to secure multiple subdomains on a single domain name, you can buy a wildcard. For a wildcard SSL certificate, a common name of *.yourdomainname.com would secure www.yourdomainname.com, mail.yourdomainname.com, secure.yourdomainname.com, etc...

To complete the application for your SSL certificate you need to generate a CSR and submit it to our Certificate Authority (CA). The CSR contains text that's been encrypted and includes details of your application: company name, domain name, location, email address. Plus, your public and private keys will be generated. Your public/private keys are for encrypting/decrypting all online communication and transactions between you and your customers. To ensure your website traffic stays secure, you must keep your private key a secret. Once our CA receives and confirms your details, it will issue your SSL certificate.

Our Certificate Authority provides an SSL certificate Request Helper which will create your CSR. This tool allows you to generate the CSR for OpenSSL, Microsoft Exchange 2007, Microsoft Exchange 2010, Java Keytool, F5 Big-IP, and Microsoft IIS

Please note that if you’re generating a CSR for a wildcard SSL certificate, your common name must start with an asterisk (*), i.e., *.eurodns.com. The asterisk represents any subdomain name.

Check out our support article for easy activation of your SSL certificate. It can be done during domain name registration or from the product page. The simple activation steps apply to whichever SSL certificate you choose, free or purchased.

Every SSL certificate has a digital signature based on a one-way cryptographic hashing algorithm. In non-geeky terms it’s a secret code that works as a security mechanism to check the integrity of data. For a decade, the SHA-1 was the algorithm of choice. But, it hasn’t kept up with technology and is now vulnerable to attack. Websites that have SSL certificates with SHA-1 will trigger an alert message that warns that the site is unsafe. Those pesky hackers broke the code! All our SSL certificates have the SHA-2 algorithm. If you’re a bit of a techie you might be interested in reading about SHA-1 upgrading to SHA-2 on our blog.

No. The SSL certificates we provide will accelerate your website load speed. When a user visits your website, their browser asks for proof of the validity of your certificate. It’s an automated process and ensures your website loads faster and visitors aren’t left hanging.

It’s because the audit and validation process for the EV SSL certificate isn’t automated and the background checks are meticulous. It’s the price you pay for super-protection, but it’s worth it.

All our SSL certificates include the following features:

• 2048-bit issuing authority with 256 bit encryption strength between your website and your customers.
• All our SSL certificates include the SHA-2 algorithm. SSL with SHA-1 are vulnerable to hacking!
• IPv6 enabled infrastructure guarantees your website has super-speedy loading time.
• Our Certificate Authority has 20+ years of experience and SSL certificates with a high-level of encryption.
• Universal compatibility means they work on all the popular browsers and devices.
• Secure site seal (different depending on which level of certificate) so customers can check your credentials.
• Support for both www & non-www.
• Phishing alerts & malware detection.
• Expert support and personal account manager.

Yes, Sectigo SSL certificates are trusted by all major browsers and operating systems. Sectigo is a well-recognized Certificate Authority (CA) that adheres to stringent security standards, ensuring that your website remains secure and trusted by users globally.

A 2048-bit issuing authority uses a 2048-bit encryption key to sign SSL/TLS certificates. This ensures strong security by making it difficult for unauthorized parties to decrypt or forge certificates. The higher the bit length, the more secure the encryption, providing robust protection for your data and communications.

A warranty for an SSL certificate is a financial guarantee provided by the Certificate Authority (CA) that covers certain damages or losses if the SSL certificate fails to function as expected. This warranty typically includes:

• Coverage: It often covers financial losses resulting from security breaches or fraud due to certificate mis-issuance or failure.
• Amount: The warranty amount can vary depending on the CA and the type of certificate, ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.
• Terms: Specific conditions and procedures must be followed to claim the warranty, including proof of the breach and that it resulted from the certificate's failure.

The number of domains you can secure with a Multi-Domain (SAN) Certificate depends on the certificate issuer.

Benefits:

• Broad Coverage: Secure multiple domains and subdomains under one certificate.
• Cost-Efficient: Save on administrative and renewal costs with a single SSL certificate.
• Simplified Management: Easily manage and update security settings for all your domains from one place.