cheap ssl certificates

What is Secure Web Hosting and SSL and what are their benefits:

The World Wide Web is not as safe as it used to be which is due to the amount of data and information online that can be read by other people. There are a large number of people called hackers who uncover secret and confidential data about the people who visit your site. It is even possible for them to obtain information such as credit card details or passwords. Many hackers are able to offer a version of your own website and use this to trick other web users. Their version of your site can be hosted on their own server. This is done to obtain details from them. It is possible to battle these people and this is why SSL or Secure Sockets Layer was created.

Since 1994 when it was developed by Netscape, the SSL has developed into a security technology that is now recognized as an standard across the world. It works in a way to ensure that a secure link between a server and a browser. All OF this adds up to making sure that any information that is passed between parties remains secure. The security can be seen the padlock emblem that appears on screen. Many e-Business companies appreciate this opportunity to safeguard the information of their customers as well as ensuring the confidentiality of any transactions that take place

The Certificate for SSL:

A SSL Certificate offered by the Certification Authorities (also known as CA) is essential for any web server that wishes to use the protocol of the Secure Sockets Later. Many questions will be asked about your firm and its identity and from here you can choose to run the SSL on your own web server. Two cryptographic keys are generated, one is a Public Key, one is a Private Key, both originate from the web server. The public key does not allow backdoor entry or hidden methods. The key is held in a data file with the rest of your information; this data file is called a CSR, a Certificate Signing Request. The next task will be to submit this CSR. The CA will then go about verifying the information contained within the CSR and this will undertake the SSL Certificates process. After this, another certificate from SSL will be provided and this certificate will hold all the details and information to enable SSL use. The certificate for SSL is linked by the web server to the Private Key. This means a secure and coded link will be created between the visitors' browser and your very own site.

However, all these complex procedures of the SSL protocol remain undetectable to the customers. What their browser provides to them is a key indicator that helps to let them know they are well protected by an SSL encrypted session. There is a lock icon in the lower right hand corner of your customer's browser by clicking which, your SSL Certificate and all other details are displayed. Generally, all these SSL Certificates are allotted to registered companies and to legally accountable individuals.

The usual information contained within an SSL Certificate will usually provide country, state, city, and address, name of the company and the domain name of the site. The expiration date of the certificate will also be included as will further information about the Certification Authority that holds the responsibility for issuing the certificates. If the browser of the visitor connects to the secured site, the SSL certificate will be unable to retrieve the SSL certificate from the site. A quick search in the veracity of the sites SSL certificate will be undertaken and that it has been allocated to the website claiming it is for. Another check will also be undertaken on the date of expiry for the certificate. If for any reason the certificate does not pass all the questions asked of it, there will be a warning displayed to the final user.

The consumers are now much more comfortable with the golden padlock, which appears within their browser display. It is now considered as an indication of trust in the web site. In fact, this simple fact gives an e-Business provider an opportunity to influence the increased trust level in order to transform visitors into paying customers. All kinds of ecommerce shopping carts and sites that allow you to collect secure information on your website use SSL Certificates. However, it is also essential to keep in mind that while you use a secure server certificate with a form and get the result emailed to you, the email is not secure at all.

Functions that are new to users:

Many users may be aware of the SSL v2 version but the SSL v3 is a much improved version. The SHA-1 based cipher has been added and this offers assistance with regards to authenticating certificates. SSL v2 had some flaws like when cryptographic keys were utilized for both the authenticating messages and encryption. In addition to this, SSL v2 did not provide any level of protection for the handshake, leaving it open to "man in the middle downgrade attacks" occurring without anyone noticing.

Furthermore, the Secure Sockets Layer has been recently been succeeded by Transport Layer Security TLS. This TLS is based itself on SSL and has been incorporated as an integral part of Netscape and Microsoft browsers as well as of most of the Web server products. In present days, the Secure Sockets Layer uses private and public key encryption system from RSA that also includes the utilization of a digital certificate.

SSL Certificate, do you need one:

* If privacy of others and yourself as well as a need to have trust in your site is important, then the purchase of the SSL certificate is vital.

* Those who have online shopping facilities and accept credit cards require the SSL certificate to provide a level of security about customer information.

* It is also advisable to get an SSL Certificate in case you have offices, which share confidential information over an intranet.

* If you process data like date of births, addresses, telephone numbers, licenses or ID numbers then as SSL certificate is required to process this securely.

* If anyone in your firm utilizes an extranet, the SSL certificate is an additional layer of security from those wanting to hack your site.

Some helpful information about purchasing SSL Certificates:

Although the Certificate Authority is an extremely wide one, there is a need to consider your requirements and budget before choosing who to buy from. There are a lot of SSL certificate firms that are able to meet many price ranges. There are 22 separate their parties who can be found from checking the Open Directory Project and there are also well over 20 root certificates that can be found in Internet Explorer and Firefox. The market however is dominated by a few firms and this is mainly down to pricing issues.

* A survey undertaken in June of 2005 by Netcraft set out to find the names of the biggest providers of SSL certificates. This was backed up in 2007 when Security Space attempted a similar search. The top ranker was found to be Equifax, through its Geotrust arm (www.equifax.com), the next was VeriSign plus which utilized their Thawte subsidiary (www.verisign.com) as well as GoDaddy/Starfield (www.godaddy.com),, Comodo (www.comodo.com) and Digicert (www.digicert.com).

In fact, depending on the measurement methodology, these six vendors as a whole have occupied approximately 95% of the total market. The Verisign holds the largest market share of around 72%, followed by Comodo which holds around 18% share, Geotrust with 3.43% of the total market share. Entrust and GoDaddy obtained approximately 2.5 % and 1% respectively. The other vendors hold 3 to 4% on an average.

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