SSL Certificates

Everything you need to know about securing your Online Business.

Why is security required for the Internet?

The Internet has been a revolution to commerce and the transfer of data in general, which has developed new global business opportunities for all, including major enterprises, small to medium sized businesses and individuals alike. However e-commerce has inevitably attracted crime and developed a new breed of online criminals ranging from fraudsters and hackers to cyber terrorists. The growing concerns associated with conducting e-commerce have now resulted in the fact that security is an essential factor for online business success.

The market is now educated in the basics of online security and the majority of online users now expect security to be integrated into any online service they use and as a result they expect any details they provide via the Internet to remain confidential and secure.

This white paper explains how SSL can be utilized as the core security technology to protect customer's online transactions and informs users that the security of the online business is being taken seriously. In fact SSL provides proof of a digital identity and allows online customers to visibly see that their digital transaction will be confidential. These are essential factors in gaining customer confidence and remove the concerns and risks associated with sending sensitive data over the Internet.

SSL is essential to allow the true benefits of the Internet to be realized.

What is SSL?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a security technology that is commonly used for encrypting communications between users and e-commerce websites, thereby securing server to browser transactions. The SSL protocol utilizes encryption to prevent eavesdropping and tampering of the transmitted data, and is used to secure information passed by a browser (such as a customer's credit card number or password) to a web server (such as an online store).

SSL protects data submitted over the Internet from being intercepted and viewed by unintended recipients and as used by hundreds of thousands of websites in the protection of their online transactions with their customers, SSL is the de-facto industry standard Internet transaction security technology.

How do website visitors know if a website is using SSL?

When a website visitor connects to a web server using SSL they will see that the URL in the address bar begins with https:// rather than the usual http:// and also a small gold padlock will appear in their browser, e.g.

As seen by users of Internet Explorer

Whenever a browser connects to a web server (website) over https:// - this signifies that the communication will be encrypted and secure. The actual complexities of the SSL protocol remain invisible to the end customer. In summary, SSL is the de facto web transaction security technology. Web servers have been built to support it and web browsers have been built to use it. SSL provides the ability to secure customers transactions transparently without the customer having to do a thing!

What is required for a web server (website) to use SSL?

In order for a website to use SSL a SSL Certificate is required (also known as Web Server Certificates and Secure Server Certificates). SSL Certificates are installed onto the web server hosting the particular website and allow access to the security functionality of the web server itself.

You can order an SSL certificate using your account control panel (Extra Features) or during checkout if you are a new customer. If you would like to use your own SSL certificate, you can generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) and install the certificate using the SSL Management icon of the control panel.