SSL Certificate and HTTPS Protocol: Learn how to keep your website secure

Few people understand the importance of the protocol HTTPS that comes along with the SSL certificate (Secure Socket Layer). However, it is essential to know the details of this technology, especially if you are considering creating a website.

Data protection is essential for creating a safe environment for users. More and more regulations are imposed to ensure that the web is a safe place to share data.

Therefore, it is necessary to know the resources available to bring greater security to your website and ensure that you do not have problems with data leakage and other consequences of cyber attacks.

What are SSL Certificate and HTTPS Protocol?

SSL certificate is a mechanism used to encode information through encryption. Its purpose is to protect the website by preventing sensitive information from being shared with third parties.

The HTTPS protocol is the junction of the HTTP protocol with the security layer of the SSL certificate. This is an essential security layer for verifying the authenticity and ownership of the website, as well as providing data encryption to protect users.

Well known for appearing in front of the address of any website on the internet, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is a protocol, a kind of rule made for the user’s computer to exchange information with the server that hosts a website. 

When the two parties are connected through this protocol, they are allowed to send and receive information, and the page accessed is a result of the codes received.

From this, HTTP becomes conducive to cyber attacks on Wi-Fi networks and other connections, making it easier for computers to suffer from the most diverse types of threats, such as phishing (electronic fraud) and hacker attacks. 

In short, the HTTP protocol is a very insecure connection, since it is possible to intercept exchanged data.

That’s why the need for an additional layer of security, which can be promoted by the SSL certificate. 

This certificate is added to the HTTP protocol with the aim of clarifying the website’s proprietary information to the user, as well as adding encryption that encrypts the information exchanged so that it cannot be deciphered.

Therefore, the junction of the HTTP protocol and the SSL security certificate form the prefix used in all sites considered safe on the web, which begin with the famous HTTPS, with the last letter S meaning “security”. 

Whenever you access a secure website, you will be able to see this prefix in your browser before the website’s electronic address (domain). 

Which are the types of SSL certificates?

As we have already seen, the SSL certificate has great importance in the creation of the HTTPS protocol. 

What few people know is that there are different types of certificates that can help you build a website with a barrier of protection, according to the needs of the platform.

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Let’s get to know the types of SSL certificates that can be added to the HTTP protocol.

1. Domain Validation 

Domai validation is the simplest type of SSL certificate used by websites. It verifies the domain through the website owner’s email address. 

In general terms, the verification process is done by sending an email to an administrative electronic address that checks if the certificate applicant is the owner of the domain.

This process is very quick, as it only involves verifying ownership of the website’s domain. 

The domain validation is especially used on smaller sites that require little concern for encryption, such as sites that do not require user information and blogs.

Because it is quite simple, this certificate is obtained quickly and at a low cost.

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2. Organization Validation

Organization validation is also intended to verify the identity and ownership of a website. However, this type of security certificate has a more advanced verification process.

Documents required for organization verification may be business registration extract, bank details or telephone contact.

As this is a more complex analysis, this is a type of SSL certificate more suitable for virtual stores, corporate websites and e-mail servers, that is, those that request more data from the user.

Due to its greater complexity, this SSL security certificate has a higher value. However, it is indispensable for platforms with high exchange of information with users. 

The great advantage of this certificate is the peace of mind it offers the visitor, since, in addition to having their data protected, they have more information about the identity of the website owner at their disposal.

In short, the organization SSL certificate presents information such as the company’s address, phone number and business record, all to ensure the legitimacy of the platform.

3. Extended Validation 

Extended validation is the most complete SSL certificate among the three types. 

To achieve this, you must send physical documents from your organization, in addition to the data requested in the organization validation type.

This type of SSL security certificate works with standard 256-bit encryption to prevent data leakage.

It is very suitable for websites that carry out financial transactions, for example, and need high data protection.

Sites that have this type of certificate stand out from the rest by presenting the company’s trade name before the rest of the electronic address.

This feature can have a major impact on the rate of sales made on the site, as the user feels more secure in providing their data to carry out the transaction.

Another advantage of this type of SSL certificate is that it positively impacts the SEO of the website. Google makes its concern with security in the digital environment increasingly clear, giving priority to sites that have better certification.

All of this results in a more complicated process for verification, which implies a higher value and longer time for issuing the certificate.

Currently, its issuance takes an average of five days considering the time of delivery of the documents and the confirmation call from the certifier (call-back).

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What is the best SSL certificate?

All SSL security certificates are very good. Each of them has a layer of protection that increases along with the value of the service. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the situation of your website to understand which type of SSL certificate is most suitable for your needs.

One of the details to be analyzed is the exchange of information with users. If in the web project there is no need to store any information, like a blog, the simplest SSL certificate works very well. However, the greater the volume of data exchanged, the greater the protection required for your platform.

The important thing is to decide and hire the SSL verification service so that your website goes from HTTP to HTTPS. 

This change is essential both for the security of the site and for increasing the credibility of your brand. 

Invest in a secure website and ensure your business credibility

The switch from HTTP to HTTPS can be very affordable in its simplest versions and provides great protection to users. Therefore, it is important to verify the provision of the SSL certificate by the hosting of the website you are hiring.

Another great advantage is that with the switch from HTTP to HTTPS the site gains a good speed improvement. 

A test available on the website http://www.httpvshttps.com/ shows that the website has a loading speed 8 seconds faster on the HTTPS connection than on the HTTP connection.

This makes a big difference in attracting customers, since the ideal loading time for a website is up to 2 seconds. 

In addition, with the data privacy regulations getting harder, ensuring that no information is leaked is critical so that your business does not experience problems.

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