What does an SSL certificate do?
We all probably know SSL certificate and its function. SSL certificate has become necessary to secure the website and increase the peace of mind for users when accessing the Website. Therefore, today’s web pages are buy SSL certificate for website security and visitor data security. However, first let’s make it more clear exactly what SSL certificate types mean.
More simply, an SSL certificate is a certificate that provides authentication to a website and encrypts the data that is being shared between the server and the browser.
Therefore, the SSL certificate will prevent any third party from stealing or reading the information. Additionally, you may see a padlock icon in front of the URL link, and the link will have HTTPS, not HTTP, indicating your site is safe and secure.
Thus, SSL certificates protect user data and prevent cybercriminals and threats. SSL certificates can also be used in web-based applications, email servers, server-to-server communication, etc.
Different types of SSL certificates
The different certificates are classified based on the domains and subdomains it protects and the validation required to receive those certificates. Therefore, here are the types of SSL certificates from both types.
Let us take a look at each of them in detail and see which one will help your organization.
- Domain Validated SSL Certificates (SSL DV Certificates) – Domain Validated SSL Certificates
- Organization Validated SSL Certificates
- Extended Validation SSL Certificates
- Wildcard SSL Certificate – Wildcard SSL Certificate
- Multi-Domain SSL certificates (MDC)
- Unified Communications Certificates (UCC)
Domain Validated SSL Certificate.
They are also known as SSL DV Certificates. This type of SSL certificate is the most accessible certificate to get by website owners running small and medium businesses. A domain-validated SSL certificate proves that you own your domain name and identity.
You can get this certificate very quickly and efficiently, as it does not require long steps to confirm your identity to receive the certificate. You must prove control of your domain and obtain a certificate.
However, DV SSL is cheaper than any other SSL certificate. A website developer can find cheap SSL DV in the market easily. If the website owner needs to strongly authenticate a business then the website owner usually get another SSL certificate which provides more safety and security and thus helps to get more customers.
Domain Validated SSL will help prove your identity, but sometimes it may not give you as much security as needed.
Organization Validated SSL Certificate
The security agency will check by verifying the business registration and its legal status. There’s more protection for your website and online business once you’ve proven ownership and control of your DNS records.
OV certificates are available for many years and you must renew them afterwards by following the same process as you did for DV certificates.
The main benefit of an OV SSL certificate over a DV SSL certificate is that it absolutely prevents scammers from obtaining it illegally, as it would be difficult to obtain an OV SSL certificate because of the challenging authentication process of It. It takes longer to obtain an OV certificate than a domain-validated certificate.
Extended Validation SSL Certificate
The EV SSL certificate is the most expensive of all the others. It provides add-on security and is beneficial when your site has sensitive tasks like logging into accounts, receiving and sending third-party payments, processing product and service orders or may involve a cash transfer.
Also, it is advisable to purchase an SSL certificate from a trusted provider and get professional installation services. Different types of SSL certificates come with different features and combinations of encryption and authentication levels. The EV SSL certificate is the most cryptographically secure certificate.
CA (certificate authority) thoroughly checks all business related documents including physical, operational and legal presence of a company. The CA also verifies the company’s phone number with a third-party business directory. After verifying all the details, the CA will issue the certificate.
Wildcard SSL Certificate
Wildcard SSL Certificate will protect multiple subdomains of a primary domain. For example, if you own a website with the extension example.com to share news with online visitors. Now a part of a website that only serves financial news can have a subdomain with a URL named finance.example.com that shows only financial related information.
In this way, Wildcard SSL Certificates can protect multiple or multiple subdomains. Furthermore, wildcard SSL certificates come with domain and organization level of validation. Site owners do not need to purchase additional certificates for each subdomain.
Multi-domain SSL certificate
As the name suggests, this certificate protects multiple domains and subdomains in a single certificate; Therefore, you can protect as many sites as you want. However, many SSL providers offer up to 100 domains in a single SSL certificate. Therefore, its other name is Subject Alternative Name (SAN). For example, website owners can secure domain.com, mydomain.com, sub1.mydomain.com, a1.sub2.mydomain.com, etc. All domains and subdomains will be secured with encryption Strong 256 bit and 2048 bit CSR encryption.
Code Signing Certificate
Code Signing Certificates are suitable for software developers and publishers who want to make legitimate software with verified publishers available to users. In this certificate, the developer digitally signs the executables, software code, and drivers to ensure that the code has not been changed since it was signed. A code signing certificate includes a signature, company name, and timestamp. Certificates remove unwanted security warnings while downloading software. Code Signing Certificates insure both publishers and end users against fraud and malware.
How will you implement Security for your Website?
After reading this article, the question can always come to the reader about what type of SSL certificate to use. Again, if you have a well-designed and clear mindset about the types of certificates, you can wisely choose the best type of certificate that increases the trust of your customers online. SSL DV certificates are easy to secure and work if you don’t want higher validation.
If your priority is to secure multiple domains, then use a multi-domain SSL certificate first; if the choice is to secure unlimited subdomains, then use a wildcard SSL certificate.
Then, based on the level of security required and the type of business you have, you can choose the right level from the classified SSL certificates based on the authentication it needs.
For example: if you need a high level of security, use an EV SSL Certificate.
