What is an SSL Certificate?
In life, one of its most essential parts is the identity security because there are always criminals out there who illegally use the information they have gathered and use them to their advantage which, as a result, can damage a person’s money and time. Each of us is always advised to be extra careful in disclosing your personal information to any party.However, there are instances where one has no choice but to provide his information to complete his business transaction or his application. Hence, there are security measures devised to guard this information given so that only those individuals who genuinely need it will have it. In this world where Internet is already playing a big role and has become a virtual market for businesses and people, online security also exists and this time, it is in the form of SSL certificates.SSL stands for secure socket layer and an SSL certificate is a guarantee that the information submitted and disclosed over the Internet will not fall into the hands of someone who will not use it right. Websites with SSL certificate protect their users because the required data will only be shown to the website owner. The information is jumbled and only the website owner is able to see the unscrambled version of the information. In other words, only the one who owns the certificate has the power to see the original information.Usually, a website that is SSL certified has a “padlock” icon or symbol and another verification mark like a checkmark.. When one hovers and clicks these symbols, the identity of the securing company is shown and the date when the certificate is obtained is also displayed so that customers will be aware as to whether the certificate is lately obtained or not.A typical security certificate has various levels. There are self-signed certificates, domain validation certificates, and fully authenticated SSL certificates. The first one is owner generated and usually utilized for internal purposes only. The second one can easily and quickly be obtained because it only verifies the owner of the domain. The last one, on the other hand, is obtained after certain validation is acquired. During this case, SSL certificate applicants must show that their businesses genuinely exist, that they are the owner of the domain, and that they are authorized to apply.There are also wildcard certificates that are granted to multiple hosts of a domain while there are also code signing certificates that make sure that whenever a software is downloaded, it is protected from cyber criminals who attempt to attach a virus or other malicious programs. Moreover, you would know if a website has the highest form of authentication and security if it an extended validation certificate owner.A lot of instances need a security certification. For instance, any online store where they accept orders and the customer’s credit card information is required -this has to be secure. At the same time, a website that needs a login or sign in should have some form of security and a website that needs personal information should also have security precautions. Aside from security, certificates may also be used for internal Internet communications within a corporation.
